Patty Lowell and the Boy Who Lived
by Coelectichi
Summary: Albus wanted to bring Patty to Hogwarts after hearing stories about the incident with Abigail, but he needed a way to do it without causing problems with the American Congress. Ah, employing her guardian, Dante, would be a good excuse.
1. Prologue

Heva: So I'm sort of back. I haven't uploaded anything in years but have been writing bits and pieces. Unfortunately none of those stories have got beyond a few chapters before I got side tracked and the time I have to write fiction is so small that the majority of this story so far has been typed on public transport or in hotel rooms.

Coel: She's just making excuses for how long it'll take her to get chapters out.

Heva: Sadly true excuses. I should explain that the initial plot bunny for this story was a cross-over between Devil May Cry and Blue Exorcist where Dante was asked to train Rin by Mephisto. I'm not sure how that mutated into a Harry Potter cross-over but I think it was when I was reading other Devil May Cry cross-overs that I saw the potential in the idea. That was near the start of this year and it was May that I finally fleshed out the plan into a plot line.

Coel: Get on with the story.

Heva: Anyway I'd like to thank those writers who have unintentionally pushed me into getting this written. The Wizard Son Of Sparda by Gimlifan8 and Professor Dante, Defence Against The Dark Arts Teacher by Insieme Per La Vittoria are particular favourites which spring to mind.

Coel: Story now?

Heva: Warnings first: I will aim to update this regularly but will fail to do so as my life is not well organised and I cannot guarantee access to a computer, let alone an internet connection. This story will be rated T as there will be the occasional curse (Dante can't be expected to be on best behaviour all the time), sexual references both straight and not so much (again mostly from Dante) and fairly dark themes which I am currently unsure how far I will push through. In this chapter I do not believe I need to add any trigger warnings but I will endeavour to put them at the start of chapters that require them.

For Devil May Cry this is set between the anime and the fourth game and during the first Harry Potter book. Dante is based on how I see him from the anime so I am sorry if he seems out of character to some people. My logic is that he's trying to be more mature for Patty's benefit.

Finally this story is un-betad so all mistakes are mine alone, although the characters sadly are not.

* * *

Dante snored softly behind the magazine with his feet propped up on the desk as Patty let herself into the shop. She was currently living in Devil May Cry with Dante, despite her mother finally reappearing in her life and Dante complaining he wasn't running an orphanage.

Patty hung her coat on the rack by the door, trying not to spread rainwater across the floor, and looked towards her current father-figure. Dante may not be the ideal man to look up to, only being half human for a start, but he was protective, caring and, most importantly, here. Her mother was still recovering from the years she had spent running away from the demons hunting her necklace, and suddenly losing what had become her entire life had taken a toll no one had anticipated. Patty had run to the shop as soon as she had realised something was wrong and, except for short walks to buy food or trips with Dante or Lady keeping her company, hadn't left since. Between Dante and Lady the hotel room her and her mother had been staying in was emptied, with Lady accompanying Patty's mother to the hospital, and Dante bringing all their belongings to Devil May Cry.

The phone rang and Dante removed his gambling magazine as he kicked the desk, causing the loud device to leave the wooden surface. Patty didn't pay much attention to the display of coordination as the phone landed in his hand and he held it to his ear. She had watched Dante enough to be very familiar with his abilities and they no longer held the same fascination as they had when she first saw them.

"Patty, it's your mom," Dante called as she started packing the food away in the kitchen area. Dropping the bags she hurried back towards the desk and took the phone from Dante's outstretched hand.

"Mommy?" Patty asked quickly as she watched Dante wander towards the kitchen to finish putting away the groceries.

"Hello my darling. How are you? I hope Dante is looking after you."

"He's being really nice to me but is still lazy and makes a mess which he leaves for me to clear up." Patty increased the volume of her voice as she spoke to make sure Dante heard her, although his hearing was probably good enough to hear everything her mum was saying on the other end of the phone. "How are you? Can I visit soon?"

"The doctors say I am getting better. I haven't had another panic attack this week but I don't want you to see me like this Patty. I want to be strong for you, like a mother should be. You deserve someone far stronger than me to look after you."

"I want you. I love you, mommy." Patty heard someone on the other end of the line telling her mother that her time on the phone was nearly up, they had rarely been able to talk for more than a few minutes at a time which Lady had explained would increase as Nina improved. Apparently the doctors had to allocate the time allowed for phone calls, visitors and trips outside the hospital.

"I love you too, Patty. Please be a good girl, and say thank you to Dante for looking after you."

"I will mommy. I hope you get better soon."

Patty sat in Dante's desk chair holding the phone after her mother had hung up, wishing she could make it all better. As soon as she saw her mother again she was ripped away from her. She looked up as Dante took the phone out her hand and lifted her into his arms so he could sit back down in his chair whilst holding Patty on his lap.

"She'll get better. Soon you'll be moving out of my pizza infested hovel and into a really nice flat with your mom. Then I can come round and eat your pizza and drink your beer and sleep on your sofa."

"You aren't invited. You always make a mess so you aren't allowed!"

"Even if I promise to not drop beer cans on the floor?"

"Only if you had a shower and shaved!"

"Shower and shave?! I am far too sexy to shave like a common gentleman. This stubble is the finishing touch to show off my masculinity!"

"Are you trying to make him shave?" A female voice asked from the doorway.

"Yes and he's refusing. I think he needs a shower as well!" Lady walked towards the desk as Patty jumped off Dante's lap.

"He always needs a shower, all guys always need a shower."

"I don't smell bad," Dante complained, he wouldn't miss these moments when Patty finally moved out. The girls seemed to always be in charge of him now, making him buy 'real' food and wash his clothes because he had 'responsibilities'. Apparently, whilst missing out the fun bit, he'd become a dad without realising and was meant to raise Patty, which seemed to mean he couldn't do lots of the things he used to enjoy. He hadn't been able to have a good night out in months and he was sure it wouldn't be too long before the strain of this socially acceptable act started to show.

"Anyway I was hoping you could help me choose a new dress," Lady informed them as she pulled a magazine out of her bag. "Cecilia is getting married and I need a suitable dress for the wedding."

"What colour are the invites?" Patty asked, immediately going into dress choosing mode as Dante picked up his own gambling magazine to block them out. He heard words about fabric and matching shoes before their voices became just an annoying buzz. He would have to keep an eye on his wallet later, but right now he could get back to that nap. At least in his daydreams he could return to Love Planet and appreciate the feminine forms found within.

* * *

The noise of a customer stepping into the shop was a relief for Dante, as it promised a break from the inane chatter of the two girls who were now sat on the sofas with pictures of dresses spread around them. Their conversation had seemed to be enough of a mood killer to prevent his mental wandering descending too far into the gutter and he was feeling particularly frustrated now.

'I hope this idiot has an infestation of something that'll let me blow off some steam,' Dante thought as he shifted in his seat.

"I was told I would find Dante and Patty Lowell here," the customer said as Dante lifted his magazine to get a look at his next potential employer. The person he saw didn't match the strong voice he had heard. The immediate visual impression the figure gave was of an old and frail man with a long, off white beard, walking stick and what Dante knew were wizard robes, but had never seen worn out in public before. In conflict with this the stance and voice were full of confidence and strength, with the stick clearly only present for appearances. Dante allowed his eyes to narrow as he took in the other few details about the stranger to ensure he knew the safest way to deal with the situation if he turned out to be hostile. It wouldn't be the first time a potential customer had turned out to be an enemy and Dante wouldn't be surprised if it would be a repeating pattern into his distant future.

A shift in the man's clothing as he stepped further into the office gave Dante the glimpse he needed to spot the wand at the stranger's hip. He had met a few wizards and witches in the past, usually ones who thought they could control demons with magic, and had come to a basic agreement with the Magical Congress that if he didn't bother them they wouldn't bother him. Wizards tended to not want to deal with demons anyway, a high resistance to most magic made it difficult for them, and Dante was more than happy to be employed by muggles and wizards alike to remove their little problems for cash.

"I'm Patty Lowell!" Patty shouted quickly from the seats before Lady could stop her. "And that's Dante."

"How can I help you?" Dante asked as he put the magazine on his desk, hoping to keep the stranger's attention on himself until he was certain he was a friend not a foe.

"I was hoping I could hire you as the head of security at the school I run in the UK."

"I hunt demons, not stop children running in corridors," Dante picked up the magazine again, maybe the stranger would start showing his true motives if Dante feigned disinterest. In reality he was intrigued as to why this guy had decided to choose to employ a demon hunter at a school. He'd been asked to help train people before, but usually adults who already knew how to handle a weapon and once as an external trainer for a group of beginner exorcists. This guy wasn't asking him to train the kids though, he wanted Dante to provide security. Why would a school need protection from demons?

"The Magical Congress warned me you might be difficult to persuade, so I decided honesty was probably best." The stranger reached the desk and dropped a newspaper article onto the surface. It showed the remains of the hotel from Abigail's attack with the flames still flickering. Dante noted dimly that the picture was moving as he scanned the text. There were mentions of the Lowell family and the great contributions they had made to modern magic, especially transfiguration and divination, with the youngest Lowell showing signs of continuing the family legacy with the aid of several local devil hunters.

"So you're interested in Patty," Dante commented as he glanced towards the sofa where Patty and Lady appeared frozen. "But you can't just take her without causing problems with the guys in charge. If you hire me, then taking Patty seems normal. Have I got it right?"

"Nearly, but I'll explain the particulars of the actual job with them listening. It would be wrong to make them lose too much time." The gentleman smiled and Patty ran over to the two of them, shortly followed by Lady, to look at what the man had thrown onto the desk.

"I am Albus Dumbledore, and I run the Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry in the UK. We are in need of some increased security this year and I happened to spot this story in the paper. As a magical school you can imagine we have unusual requirements so I investigated the story with the Magical Congress of the United States of America and they told me about you."

"Why do you need new security?" Dante asked suspiciously, wondering how far this cover story went and if he should keep listening or confront Albus about it.

"We have a new student this year, Harry Potter, who has become rather famous in the wizarding world." Albus gave a brief explanation of how Harry's parents and Voldemort were involved in the past battle for the wizarding world, as well as the fears that Voldemort, or at least some of his supporters, may try to harm Harry when he returned to the wizarding community so extra security was required.

"So you want me to make sure Voldy doesn't try anything to hurt this kid?" Dante asked, holding eye contact with Albus as he continued to try and work out how much he could trust this guy.

"That is the idea. Of course I will provide you with somewhere to live, payment and offer Patty a place at the school, although you will need to join the first year students despite already being fourteen." Albus turned to Patty with his last comment, giving her a wide smile.

"I could learn magic!" Patty exclaimed. "Dante, take the job!"

"We need to talk to your mother," Dante said carefully. "She needs to know what is happening."

"I will leave you to talk it over and return tomorrow. If you want to discuss anything with me you can call me on this number." Albus handed Dante a small piece of card with a number scrawled on it. Dante glanced at the card as he took it, feeling a significant tingle as their fingers brushed past each other. Assuming it must be a sign of how powerful a wizard Albus was Dante made a mental note to be cautious about upsetting him. He'd certainly felt that tingle of magic before, usually linked with a summoning spell or the circles carved into the floor, and this one was far stronger than any wizard he had dealt with before. Even the wizards he considered competent had not felt this strong.

"See you tomorrow," Dante replied, holding Albus's gaze again as the old man smiled and disappeared.

"You are taking the job," Patty said, glaring at Dante who looked back down to the card after Albus had vanished.

"If you want to go I'm sure me and Trish can keep the shop going," Lady commented. She was feeling a little uncomfortable about the visitor, but it was hardly the strangest individual who had given them jobs. Like Dante she had met several wizards and witches in the past but, as with most people faced with the unknown, still held a deep distrust of the magic they wielded, especially when it came to summoning demons.

"I don't know. Patty we need to speak to your mother."

* * *

The hospital didn't feel how Patty had imagined. She had been picturing a beautiful park with a large house giving them all hotel style rooms, but she was now faced with a reality she wasn't prepared for. Dante and Lady had been the only ones to visit the hospital and Patty was realising swiftly why they had been keeping her away, the place was not welcoming.

Dante had pulled up in the car park and jumped off his bike, lifting Patty down from the back, before heading towards a reception area. They were still sat in this area waiting to be led somewhere else and the smell of disinfectant was assaulting Patty's nose. The chairs were clearly designed for easy cleaning, not comfort, and the entire room was following the same example. A sigh came from the chair next to her as Dante allowed his eyes to sweep across the other people in the room. His hand squeezed Patty's hands, which were still clinging tightly to him as a security blanket. She could tell Dante was uncomfortable by the way his shoulders were held and she wondered what was upsetting him, but the woman Dante had spoken to when they arrived walked over to them before she could find her voice.

"Patty Lowell?" She asked and Patty nodded, not wanting to speak or let go of Dante. "Can you come with me? Your father can come with you."

"Are you ready?" Dante asked, turning to look at Patty as he squeezed her hands again. The nod was only slight but Dante smiled as she did and moved to stand up. Patty hurried to stand up as well so she could still hold onto Dante as she felt an irrational fear creep in that he might disappear if she let go.

The corridor they headed down held the same disinfectant odour and Patty gripped Dante tightly as they passed several doors. After what felt like hours to Patty, but in reality was probably only a couple of minutes, they reached another seating area. This one held sofas and tables which followed the same easy clean style as the previous room. Patty glanced around as they entered and spotted several board games stacked in one corner but no other signs of this room being used for recreation.

"I will send Ms Lowell in a moment. If you need anything just shout and I'm sure someone will come and help you," the staff member told Dante as she turned around and left.

"Sorry for bringing you here," Dante muttered as he walked towards a window to look out at the grounds. The window had bars on the outside and Patty wondered if it was sealed shut.

"Patty?" a voice in the doorway asked. Dante turned his head as Patty dropped his hand and rushed over to greet her mother. He felt like he was intruding on their reunion so turned back to the glass and allowed his breath to form fog patches on the cold surface. The words being exchanged by the door floated past his ears but he tried to block out their meaning, preferring to focus on his own reflection. As his gaze concentrated on his own clear grey eyes he pushed his hair back out of his face. Pausing with his hand in his hair, as he realised what he was doing, Dante shook his head to make sure his bangs fell back down into his face and didn't stand up. Looking back at the window the gaze Dante locked with this time felt like it wasn't his own. Those grey eyes held the wrong emotions and that smirk wasn't his. His vision took in the pulled back hair and clean shaven face as his mirror image blinked and opened it's mouth as if to say something.

"Dante!" Patty yelled as she grabbed the back of his coat. This seemed to break his trance and the window reflected his own image again.

'I must be tired,' Dante thought in annoyance. 'Or I really do need a night out to get rid of some tension.'

"Are you ok? You weren't responding," Patty's mother asked.

"I was just thinking. We need to discuss this job I've been offered," Dante spoke quickly as he turned his back on his reflection.

"I think you should take it. Patty deserves a good education and what I have heard of Hogwarts makes it seem the best place she could hope to go to."

"This school is famous?" Dante asked.

"It is considered the best wizarding school in Europe. My father went there and he became a great alchemist before he moved his family to America. I would appreciate it if you helped Patty to train there. Please look after my daughter." Dante sighed as he realised he didn't really have much of a choice. This being a father-figure thing seemed to involve more sacrifices than he had ever considered making for anyone before.

"Of course."

* * *

"Patty it's only 6am!" Dante complained as he felt Patty bouncing on his bed. "He said he would turn up today for our answer but I doubt he will be here for a few more hours!"

"Stop being lazy and get up! I want pancakes!" Patty replied as she started jumping up and down in an effort to force Dante up. The first time she had tried to make him get up when she moved in she had pulled off his covers and discovered, much to her embarrassment, that Dante hadn't worn anything to bed. She was reluctant to repeat the experience, despite Dante saying he would make sure to wear something from then on, so had switched to bouncing until he gave in.

"Give me another hour and I will get up and make you some," Dante responded as he pulled a pillow over his head.

"Ok," Patty agreed, feeling like she had won that morning's battle.

* * *

Heva: So that's the prologue. I hope by uploading this I'll get the motivation and chance to continue this story and finish it.


	2. Chapter 1

Heva: So here's the first proper chapter. I'm sorry about this taking so long to put up, real life and all that. It's still scene setting for later events and this is the first chapter where I think I need to add warnings. There is an implication to Lady having some level of PTSD from the events of DMC3 (I think anyone would realistically) and several references to alcoholism. Yes, Dante has a drinking problem in this story as is, in my head at least, implied in the manga and anime. Anyone who could potentially find the idea of drinking to forget triggering please do not read this story as I cannot guarantee I will deal with this sensitively in later chapters.

My main references for Harry Potter are the films and online currently as I don't have an English copy of any of the books. I do have a Mandarin copy of the first book but my reading abilities are not particularly great to use it as a great reference tool. I'm really sorry about anyone who's out of character and my limited knowledge of how magic works in the Harry Potter world, although I have tried to research it online to make it fit in with the magical rules of that world.

* * *

Lady entered the shop with Trish in tow to hear voices from the kitchen.

"He's already awake?" Trish asked as she checked her watch, 7:03.

"Patty must have made him get up," Lady replied with a smirk.

"Do you want pancakes? Dante's mixing the batter now," Patty asked as she leaned round the entrance to the kitchen area.

"Dante's cooking?" Trish questioned in surprise at this turn of events.

"He's actually quite good at it," Lady replied. "All he needed was a kick to make him learn."

"I wish I'd known when I lived here. It might have been a good enough reason to hang around."

"Do you want pancakes or not?" Dante yelled from the kitchen.

"Yes for both of us," Lady called back as her and Trish pulled off their coats. The rain had returned that morning and both of them were now soaked through. "Have you got any coffee?"

"Only instant," Patty responded and rushed back into the kitchen to put water in the kettle.

"You two need rain coats," Dante observed as he leant on the door frame, the only clothing he had grabbed that morning being a pair of leather trousers.

"And you need a shirt," Trish responded.

"It would be a crime to deprive the world of such male perfection."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Lady told him as she pulled out her dress magazine again. Dante wandered back into the kitchen to see Patty making three mugs of coffee.

"They are able to make their own coffee," he told her.

"I like helping out," Patty replied as she stirred cream into the three mugs. She turned to look at Dante, handing him a mug with a smile.

"Don't let anyone take advantage of that." The seriousness of his voice caught Patty by surprise. Dante was usually joking around and making fun of people, especially himself, not giving out real advice.

"I'll try not to," she said, feeling his hand stroke her hair.

"Except me of course," Dante said after a moment, ruining the mood as usual. He grabbed a spatula and frying pan off the side. "Now grab some plates and get the table ready for us all," he told her with a smile.

"Of course, Dante."

Dante had taken a liking to pancakes and now considered them his third favourite food, closely following strawberry sundaes and pizza. He had originally been sceptical when Patty insisted he learnt how to make them, but he agreed soon after his first successful attempt that they were worth it. The ingenious bit, or so he thought, was to add white chocolate chips to the mixture and put strawberries and cream on top at the end. It was like a cross between a pizza and a strawberry sundae...and he was allowed to eat it for breakfast!

"These are delicious," Trish told them as she slowly ate her pancake, soaked in lemon juice with a sprinkling of sugar. "How come you never cooked when I lived here."

"I never needed to," Dante responded around his mouthful of strawberries and pancake.

"Men," Lady muttered as she continued eating her breakfast.

"I cooked you pancakes so stop judging me." He licked his fingers clean of the cream before wiping them on his trousers.

"You are disgusting sometimes, Dante," Lady informed him as she watched his little display, only getting a grin in response.

"I hope I'm not intruding," a male voice cut through the room.

"Not at all," Patty said as she turned to face Albus who was stood near the doors to enter the shop, although no one had heard them open and he was dry despite it still raining outside. Trish allowed her eyes to narrow as she studied the newcomer, coming to similar conclusions as Dante had the previous day.

"I can grab you a plate if you'd like to join us," Dante said with a smile, Trish catching his eye as he spoke. The look she gave him made it clear she didn't trust Albus either.

"That would be lovely. I haven't had pancakes in years." Patty dragged another chair over to the table as Dante disappeared into the kitchen area.

"So you run a school for magic?" Trish asked as Albus sat down.

"Yes, in the UK."

"And you want Dante as your security? He seems an odd choice. I would have thought you would want a wizard not a demon hunter." Dante allowed himself a small smile as he heard Trish trying to work out what Albus was hiding. The female devil was slow to trust others, which usually annoyed him, but it would be beneficial if she could find out what Albus was keeping from them all. He hadn't confided in the girls about Albus wanting Patty to attend the school and using his employment as an excuse. It would give Lady another reason not to trust wizards if he told her, and she was already uncomfortable enough with them that more ammunition was unnecessary, but hoped he would have a chance to speak with Trish alone before he accepted this job.

"Normally I would agree, but having someone with other expertise could prove highly beneficial for the school with our current circumstances. Wizards have known weaknesses which Dante does not share. Ah real strawberries, strawberry sauce and cream, I shall have to visit here more often for breakfast."

"You'll end up fighting Dante for the strawberries. He gets possessive over certain foods," Lady told him as Albus started filling his pancake with his desired ingredients. It looked amazingly similar to Dante's previous creation.

"If I'm not, you would leave me with an empty kitchen," Dante pointed out as he grabbed another pancake from the plate in the middle.

"My compliments to whoever made these, they are delicious," Albus told the group as he finished his first bite.

"Dante makes great pancakes," Patty informed him as she tipped a few spoonfuls of sugar onto her next pancake before adding maple syrup.

"And your teeth will fall out," Lady told her as she took away the bottle.

"Make sure to brush your teeth after you finish," Dante said as he poured strawberry sauce across his new pancake.

"Have you made a decision?" Albus asked as the group continued eating.

"We will need to discuss the details, but yes I will come and work for you. As long as these girls think they can run my shop for a while?"

"Like we could run it any worse than you do? After the first month it'll be making a profit," Lady responded as Trish smirked.

"I assume you'll both steal all my repeat customers."

"Probably," Trish told him as she sipped her coffee.

"We should discuss your contract in my office," Albus commented, "and I can give you a tour of the school."

"The UK is a long way to go for a tour," Dante replied as he wondered how Albus planned to get them all there. He had witnessed teleportation a few times, Vergil had been fairly gifted at it over short distances, but could a wizard transport other people that way?

"I shall apparate us there," Albus said with a smile. Dante raised an eyebrow as he wondered what the man was suggesting. "It is a spell to transport someone from one place to another."

"I thought most spells have a limit on distance," Dante queried.

"In relation to a wizard's skill. I happen to be quite adept at this particular spell, so will have no problem taking the two of you with me."

"When do you want to leave?" Dante smirked as he took another bite of his pancake.

* * *

Patty was running around the shop trying to get Dante to hurry up. Albus had suggested they wait an hour before leaving so they could enjoy their breakfast and act out their normal morning routines without rushing. Dante had agreed and went to take a shower whilst Lady and Trish spoke with Albus about how long Dante would be away. It seemed to Dante that he was free to take his time and enjoy his shower, but Patty had other ideas and knocked on the door every few minutes to see if he was done yet.

"Patty leave him alone!" Dante heard Lady yell as there was another knock on the door.

"Give me a few more minutes and I'll be out."

"Hurry up. I want to go," Patty complained.

"Yesterday you wanted me to shower and shave," Dante muttered as he put the razor down and stared into the mirror. He looked weird without the stubble, more like the face in the window yesterday. His hair was still damp from the shower and Dante pushed his hand through it causing it to stick up at odd angles.

'So that's what you'd look like now. I miss you, Verge.' His reflection blinked back at him but Dante was certain it was himself staring back, unlike yesterday. 'Was it you?' He placed his hand on the glass with a sigh before letting it drop and putting the razor back in the cupboard.

As he stepped into the main room, intending to head back to his bedroom and get dressed, Lady paused to stare at him.

"If I'd known a shower and a shave would make you speechless I might have done it sooner," Dante said with a smirk.

"It's just you look like him," Lady spoke quietly, almost as if she was slightly scared. Dante quickly realised his hair was still in spikes and ruffled it to send it back down into the more usual mess.

"Better?" he asked, feeling slightly guilty for potentially opening old wounds for Lady.

"Much," Lady breathed with a sigh of relief.

"Go put a shirt on," Trish ordered as she put an arm around Lady's shoulders to try and comfort her, despite being confused by the cause. She hadn't experienced many of Lady's occasional moments of weakness and the human emotions linked with them were still a mystery to the she-demon.

"Is that how Vergil wears his hair?" Patty asked as she tried to work out what had upset Lady. She received a slight nod in response as Lady leaned into Trish's embrace.

"Do you want me to stay or go?" Dante questioned from the stairs where he was pulling on his coat, hoping the red would be enough contrast from Vergil's blue to clearly differentiate him.

"Just give me a little while to calm down," Lady replied as she continued to lean on Trish.

"This might be a good time for us to leave then," Albus suggested. "If you are both ready?"

"I've been ready for ages," Patty complained whilst Dante simply nodded and walked over to the group.

"Please take my hand and hold on tight," Albus instructed Patty before turning to Dante. "I need a hand free so you'll have to hold on to my arm."

Dante felt as if all the air left his lungs and the world went black. It was very similar to the small amount of teleporting he had done before, but that had always been controlled by him rather than leaving the destination up to a stranger. He wondered how Patty was coping as he felt the ground reappear beneath his feet. The moment of relief was blinded by sudden pain as it felt like his entire body was on fire. His knees gave way and he heard Patty yell something as he tasted a metallic liquid in his mouth. There must be anti-demonic wards up somewhere, very powerful and successful ones.

"Spell...demon," Dante heard himself manage to choke out as the world started going black. He felt someone grab his arm whilst muttering Latin as everything drifted away entirely.

* * *

"He's waking up," someone shouted as Dante blinked his eyes open. The room was white and he assumed it was the school's hospital. He groaned and lifted a hand to his forehead as he felt a headache start. There was a constant pressure, like he was being drained of energy, and his senses seemed to be dulled as if he were underwater.

'This must be closer to what humans can sense,' Dante thought as he allowed his hand to fall back to the covers.

"How are you feeling, dear?" asked an older woman in what could be a wizarding nurses outfit. Dante blinked as he tried to focus on her. He assumed she was the one who had called out when his eyes opened.

"Like I just took on Mundus," Dante replied as he rubbed his eyes. "What happened?"

"Anti-demon wards. I am sorry I did not think to ask before we travelled here," Albus said from the doorway. "I have placed several temporary charms on you to prevent them affecting you strongly again."

"I assumed you would have sorted that out when you spoke to the American ministry, or whatever they call themselves now," Dante replied as he sat up on the bed. He felt annoyed with himself for not questioning this guy more before letting himself be dragged halfway around the world. If this was one of the greatest wizards alive, as Patty's mum had claimed, Dante was not impressed. He wasn't even sure if this guy would want him around any more, Patty was going to hate him for this.

"No one there felt they needed to mention this particular aspect of your existence."

"This is Dante," Patty said proudly as she dragged in two other people. The woman appeared old but had a strength about her which Dante found reminded him of Lady. He suspected this woman wouldn't let anyone get away with insulting her either. The man was impressive in his build and Dante found himself wanting to test his strength. It was rare he found someone able to match him in physique, but this guy made Dante look average.

"I assume Patty's explained what I am," Dante said with a sigh as he looked around for his coat. There it was on a chair at the end of the bed. He swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood up.

"You need rest," the nurse complained. "You only started breathing on your own again a few minutes ago!"

"Apart from a headache I am fine," Dante replied as he grabbed his coat. As he pulled it on he looked towards Albus. "I presume you are willing to return us to America."

"I thought you came for a tour and to sign a contract to work here. We will have to find a permanent solution with the wards, but I am sure something can be found."

"You don't mind having a half-devil on staff?" Dante questioned, unsure he had heard correctly.

"If I turned away everyone who didn't have entirely human origins I doubt this school would be as successful as it is. Admittedly your ancestry is a little more questionable than most of the staff but I am sure we can accommodate that. You have proven yourself to be on the side of humanity, from what I understand, so I see no reason not to hire you."

"Most people aren't that open minded."

"We will keep your situation a secret amongst a small number of staff members."

"That sounds more familiar," Dante said as he glanced around the rest of the people present. Patty had walked over to him whilst Albus was talking and now held his hand. He guessed she was meaning to be supportive of him, like he had tried to do in the hospital.

"You are far too negative sometimes," she scolded him. "Most people don't care what you are."

"That's because they thought you were making up stories when you asked them," Dante replied, giving her hand a squeeze. Dante heard the woman by the door chuckle as he spoke and felt himself smile. Patty may have a point, these people didn't seem to be judging him or uncomfortable with his presence.

'They haven't seen the real me though so they probably haven't really accepted it. Far too many people have said 'It's fine, I don't mind that you aren't entirely human.' before running away when they see my demonic side.'

"Can we get a tour now?" Patty asked as she looked at Albus.

"I think that is a very good idea."

* * *

Dante's main impression of the school was that it was old, large and smelt strange. He couldn't fully tell what the scent was but he guessed it had something to do with the magic practised there. He was creating a mental map as they went, having had to learn how to do so on several missions in the past. It was always essential to know how to get out as quickly as possible, as well as being able to predict what sort of area you were going to enter next to adjust your fighting style, and he had got quite good at it in his own opinion. Albus had said he would show them around the main areas inside the castle, but they would still have many rooms to explore over their time at Hogwarts.

The two newcomers, Minerva McGonagall and Rubeus Hagrid, had accompanied them on this limited tour and Dante found their company pleasant. He wasn't sure what Minerva really thought about him but Rubeus was fascinated. It turned out he had an interest in magical and unusual creatures which meant he had learnt a lot of things about demons apparently. Dante failed to see the connection but didn't comment as Rubeus enthusiastically asked him questions. Albus had stopped him quickly, saying Rubeus could ask questions after Dante had been shown around the school.

They were in the basement now and Dante noticed Patty shiver at the drop in temperature. He let his arm wrap around her shoulders lightly to share some of his body heat and smiled as she glanced up at him. Minerva was walking behind them and grinned to herself as she realised the reason behind the gesture, maybe Dante really was more human than demon.

Albus stopped beside a door with the nameplate 'Severus Snape' affixed to the outside. He raised a hand to knock as the door was opened by a middle aged man with greasy black hair and a larger than average nose. Dante felt a smile try to find its way onto his face as he realised this man may prove quite a fun opponent if the stance he was currently holding was learned rather than coincidence.

"Ah Severus, these are our visitors. Miss Patty Lowell, who will be joining the first years in September and Dante, our new head of security." Albus introduced the group to each other. "We need to discuss a little problem that needs solving before he can start work though. May we come in?"

"Of course, headmaster," Severus said as he kept his voice monotone. He stepped aside to lead everyone into his office, which Dante quickly found himself comparing to some of the other wizard's offices he had been called to remove problems from. Minerva started the fire as the group arranged themselves around the spacious room amongst the myriad of bottles and books which littered every available surface, including the floor.

It was clear to Dante this was the place Severus spent most of his time with very few visitors. The man's scent was almost overwhelming and Dante wondered briefly if it was possible for humans to detect before he realised the non-living scents associated with the potion ingredients probably completely blinded all human sense of smell.

"What is the issue?" Severus asked as he shut the door after Rubeus had squeezed his way in.

"I'm half human, half demon," Dante said instantly. He watched Severus's face for a reaction but didn't even see a flicker of emotion pass by his gaze. Interesting, this guy must be a master at poker.

"So we need a permanent way of making you immune to the wards. This will take me some time to research but I believe I will be able to make you a potion which would give you a few days to walk around freely. Unless we know exactly what these wards are." Severus looked over Dante critically, almost as if he were trying to dissect him.

"As with most details of this school, the founders did not feel it necessary to leave us any information, so I am afraid we will have to do some investigation. I can give you a list of the enchantments Poppy and I have cast to provide temporary protection," Albus informed the group. Dante wondered how anywhere could be run without knowledge about it's own defences, and how he was expected to protect somewhere that seemed to have no idea on what protection already existed. The first few days were probably going to have to be spent exploring the building in search of whatever potential traps were hidden in corners.

"We may be able to enchant an item which you would have to keep with you at all times whilst on the grounds," Minerva suggested.

"That may work. We will have to research it. I assume you will be willing to visit here and test our attempts," Severus said as he let a smile creep onto his face. Dante felt himself smile back as he realised how much Severus reminded him of Vergil.

"I don't see any other options, but my shop is quite a long way from here."

"Remind me to take a pot of floo powder back with us," Albus said. "That way we can all travel between here and there. Does your shop have a fireplace?"

"Upstairs, why?" Dante asked, remembering the only fireplace was in his bedroom.

"Floo powder is used to travel between fireplaces," Minerva explained as she held up the pot sat on Severus's mantel piece. Patty started laughing as Dante groaned.

"I am not cleaning your room."

"I'll buy ice cream."

"You're cleaning it and not just hiding everything in the cupboard like last time you claimed to clean!"

"It looked clean and tidy," Dante said in his defence as he shrugged and smiled down at Patty.

"I presume you would like a warning before any of us travel," Minerva commented with a smile as she had watched the exchange.

"It would be appreciated," replied Dante as he considered how he was going to start dealing with the collection of beer cans currently littering his bedroom floor, along with old pizza boxes.

* * *

The following two weeks were a blur to Dante as he tried to balance packing away his belongings into crates marked either storage or luggage, stopping the girls from picking out new furniture for the office using his account details, doing a few demon hunting jobs and wondering if anyone was going to appear in his bedroom at odd times. No one had appeared so far, but there had been a few phone calls from the different staff members he had met.

Minerva and Severus seemed to have some ideas and had asked him far too many personal questions in what they both claimed was research. Dante had a suspicion they were both just nosy, but tried to keep remembering that they were trying to help when he wanted to tell them to get lost. Luckily the questions had been focused on physical matters, and those asking about his family history had been limited, allowing Dante to avoid the topic of Vergil and not mention his father's name.

Rubeus had phoned as well, but his questions were about demons in general, rather than Dante in particular. Dante had found Rubeus the most fun to chat to out of the group with the enthusiasm he put into his obsession with unusual animals. The latest conversation had mentioned a three headed dog Rubeus had got hold of from a man in the pub. Dante had a suspicion Rubeus was known to certain traders and they took advantage of him, but the excitement in Rubeus's voice stopped him mentioning it.

"Dante, phone!" Patty yelled from downstairs as Dante scribbled a note on the box he had just finished taping up.

"Just coming," he called back before stacking the boxes beside the fireplace. Hurrying down the stairs he could hear Patty chatting happily and recognised Minerva's voice on the other end. It was going to be one of those conversations probably, with more difficult questions.

"Here he is," Patty said as she heard Dante coming down the stairs. "It's Professor McGonagall."

"Hi, Minerva."

"It's good to hear your voice again, Dante." Minerva sounded happy about something which made Dante feel a little uncomfortable. "We have some good news."

"What would that be?" Dante asked hesitantly, wondering what would be considered good news.

"Severus and I think we may have the start of a solution to the problem."

"Really?"

"We would like to give some enchantments a try if you are willing." Minerva's voice didn't really give the impression of leaving the option to say no.

"Of course. When were you thinking of travelling here?"

"We are ready to travel now, if it is a good time for you?"

"I'll make some tea." Dante put the phone back in it's place on the desk as he headed into the kitchen.

"They're visiting?" Patty asked excitedly as she followed Dante into the kitchen.

"Yes, why don't you go wait for them upstairs?" Dante heard the excited squeal as she turned and ran towards his bedroom. Thank Sparda he'd had time to clean and tidy it, he'd suspected the two weeks were due to them giving him enough time to do exactly that whilst arranging his extended trip.

The kettle began heating up as Dante heard a slight whoosh upstairs accompanied by an oddly sweet scent of soot. He heard Patty greeting whoever had arrived as the water boiled. A second whoosh occurred as the scent got stronger and Dante pulled four mugs out of the cupboard along with a slightly chipped tea pot. Listening to the footsteps Dante concluded the two visitors were Minerva and Severus, as he had expected, when the whoosh sound happened for a third time followed by much louder footsteps. Rubeus was visiting as well then, Dante thought as he grabbed another mug out of the cupboard.

Glancing into the main room Dante wondered if he should move any of the weapons out the way, but decided there wasn't really any time to do so. They all knew he was a demon hunter already so they probably expected he would have a large weapon collection.

"Dante, it was so cool! They appeared in the fireplace with flames and everything," Patty exclaimed as she ran downstairs.

"Flames are rarely cool," Dante replied as he poured the hot water into the teapot. He pulled out a tray for the mugs as he heard the group following Patty downstairs. Dante wondered what they thought of the shop and quickly picked up the mugs to carry through to the main room. Severus and Rubeus were inspecting the collection of weapons and trophies that were lying around whilst Minerva had seated herself on the sofa holding a bag. Dante suspected whatever they had come up with was contained in that bag and felt a slight apprehension about its contents. He wasn't looking forward to a repeat of what had happened last time he set foot onto the school grounds.

"I'll get the cream and sugar," Patty said excitedly as she rushed past Dante into the kitchen.

"We usually have milk, not cream, in the UK," Minerva said helpfully, watching Dante put the mugs down on the table in front of her.

"Patty can you get the milk out the fridge?" Dante asked as he headed back into the kitchen to grab the teapot. He watched Patty dash past him and take the milk out of the fridge to offer to their guests.

"So this is where you live?" Severus asked as Dante returned with the teapot and sat down opposite Minerva. Dante poured himself a mug with cream and sugar before looking up at his new friends.

"This is Devil May Cry," he replied as he took a sip of tea. He would rather be having a beer but that had been one of his sacrifices for Patty. No beer until after midday. She had been rather insistent about it and tea was his current substitute beverage. "Although the boxes aren't usually here."

"I imagined it would be less tidy," Minerva commented as she stirred milk into her tea.

"It's only tidy because I clean it," Patty said with a glare at Dante.

"You have quite a collection of weapons," Severus continued as he reached out to touch Cerberus, which was lying on the desk.

"You'll get frostbite if you try to hold that one," Dante said as he watched Severus carefully, trying to work out if Severus was interested in weapons for use or ornamental purposes. Severus's hand paused before pulling away from the nunchaku and back to his side. "Cerberus doesn't like other people," Dante explained as he sipped his tea.

"I didn't think weapons were particularly picky about who used them?" Minerva asked.

"In my understanding demonic weapons are like wands. They choose their owner," Severus replied as he looked towards Dante for confirmation.

"That's one way of putting it." Dante drained his mug and set it down on the table. "I believe you came here to try out a fix for my little problem."

"We have a few options to try out," Minerva said with a smile. She hadn't missed Dante's deliberate changing of the conversation, but decided to let it slide. There must be something about the demonic weapons he wasn't willing to share with them, and Minerva suspected Dante wouldn't take kindly to having the group prying into it. She opened the bag and pulled out a few items.

"What are they?" Patty asked as Severus and Rubeus sat down with the group and served themselves tea. Minerva placed a bottle full of a green liquid on the table, followed by several gemstones.

"The liquid is a potion I made, it should seal your demonic powers for a while so you won't be hurt whilst we test the charmed items." Severus stirred his tea before sipping the beverage. "Drink up, Dante, it should take an hour to work."

Dante picked up the vial and gave it a look over. Drinking strange liquids was something he was rather familiar with from his childhood when Vergil had enjoyed challenging him to drink pretty much anything they could find, and later in life this trait had continued, as after several bottles of vodka anything started to look appetizing. Disinfectant did not make a good drink but when you just wanted to forget everything...

"This smells foul," Dante informed them as he uncorked the bottle and sniffed it hesitantly. Deciding to ignore the smell he tipped his head back and quickly downed the entire thing before coughing and wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "Tastes awful too."

"I'm afraid potions rarely taste appetising," Severus said with a smile. He had expected Dante to put up an argument, most people when presented with a mysterious potion by someone they didn't really know would, and was pleasantly surprised to see the devil hunter knock back the liquid without questions. Dante really was rather trusting, maybe too trusting.

"The rest of the items are a variety of charms we would like to test out. Hopefully we can find out which combination works best and make something you can wear that will nullify the wards," Minerva explained. Dante poured himself another mug of tea and stirred in several spoonfuls of sugar, hoping the sweetness would get rid of the taste he now had in his mouth. Rubeus had remained quiet the entire time so far but appeared thoughtful now.

"You'll be tagged, just like Fang," Rubeus finally told them with a smile.

"We still need to work out what to enchant," Minerva said as she watched Dante gulp down the mug of tea he had just poured. After the mug was drained Dante put it back down onto the table and smirked.

"What would you like to do whilst we wait for this potion to start working?"

The group decided to go for a walk around the city, although Dante had said there wasn't much to see. Patty suggested they go to the beach but Dante pointed out they would only be able to spend a few minutes there before the potion kicked in.

The walk to Freddy's diner took in some of the local sights, including walking through the park containing Sparda's statue, which Dante always found his eyes drifting towards. Dante wondered what his new co-workers thought of the city, probably not a positive opinion considering the location of his office in the back streets near a strip joint and bar. Patty was chatting away and pointing out locations, including Bullseye, the local bar but luckily not Love Planet, as they walked along.

"How long have you lived here?" Severus asked Dante as Patty continued to point things out to Minerva and Rubeus. Dante had realised Severus was paying very close attention to him since he had taken the potion.

"Long enough," Dante answered carefully, he didn't particularly want to share any more of his life with these people than he had already done so.

"Dante! Patty!" came a shout from behind the group.

"Good to see you Morrison," Dante greeted the man as he headed over.

"I was hoping I could catch you before you left," Morrison said as he held a case out to Dante. "I assumed you would want this."

"I assumed you would be keeping it as payment for all the jobs I've screwed up."

"I was tempted, but I'd rather have you back on my books when you return." Morrison smiled as he glanced briefly at the rest of the group stood with Dante. He assumed he wouldn't be getting an introduction but that was hardly something new, Dante rarely let anyone get to know him properly and Morrison knew far more than most about the half demon. Dante's past was still a bit of a mystery, other than a few passing comments he had managed to put together and drunken confessions when Dante had had particularly low days, but they both knew Dante felt threatened by how much Morrison was aware of and he didn't want Morrison to share that information with anyone.

"Keep an eye on the girls for me, Morrison. I'd rather not have them wreck my shop." Lady and Trish were the other two people who Dante had let in, not counting Patty as she was still too young to really understand who or what Dante was, although Morrison was unsure how much choice Dante had been given by any of them. They had probably all forced their way into the half demon's life without giving Dante a chance to run and hung on as he tried to push them away.

"I'm sure they'll look after it more than you do." Dante did have a habit of breaking things, especially when he was bored or annoyed, which Morrison had originally seen as the action of a violent child until that first night he had found Dante drunk. He hadn't made sense to begin with but Morrison had stayed with him, fearing what actions the half demon might take if left alone in such a state, and Dante had eventually started talking about himself. Dante had spoken about the urges to kill, destroy and prove his superiority which he was convinced were from his demonic blood. He had told Morrison about his brother and how he knew he could fall in the same way if he wasn't careful. The want to avenge his mother's death had driven his brother to seek power without caring about the price, and Dante could feel how easy it would be to follow. Usually he could keep these feelings in check by fighting on his jobs, but when the jobs were few and far between he felt the urges stirring and tended to take out his frustrations on inanimate objects. He was scared he would hurt someone eventually, and tried desperately to avoid that ever happening.

"Morrison, can you fix the TV? Dante broke it," Patty piped up.

"I'll take a look. Shall I leave that on your desk?" Morrison indicated the case Dante was currently holding.

"Probably better than me wandering around town with it," Dante replied with a grin as he handed the case back over. "You might want to take your repair fee out of it. Although it will probably be easier just to buy a new set."

"How did you break it?" Morrison asked, knowing the answer was probably that Dante had punched or kicked it.

"I believe my boot went through the screen."

"I'll see what I can do. Have a good day." Morrison turned around and started walking towards Devil May Cry, wondering if he would get a chance to have a private chat with Dante before he left.

"He seems nice," Minerva commented as Morrison walked away.

"He's my agent," Dante informed them as he turned around and started leading the way to the park. He could hear Patty starting to tell them all about how awesome Morrison was, fixing Dante's messes and making sure Dante had work.

* * *

The park was busy, with children running around chasing footballs and parents sighing. Dante noticed a few people glancing towards them and recognised a few past clients, but no one seemed to be a threat so he allowed himself to relax slightly.

"I want an ice cream," Patty demanded as she grabbed Dante's hand and pointed towards the ice cream cart pulled up a little distance from them.

"You always want an ice cream," Dante replied as he put his hand in his pocket to check if he had enough change. "Would you all like some?" he asked the group as he located a couple of notes screwed up in the bottom of a trouser pocket.

"I think ice cream would be wonderful on a day like this," Severus agreed as he shielded his eyes from the bright sunlight. Minerva nodded her agreement as she watched the children playing nearby and Rubeus seemed almost entirely focused on looking at everything around him.

Dante decided to assume Rubeus wanted ice cream too and headed across the tiled area towards the truck.

The queue moved fairly swiftly and Dante was soon balancing five ice cream cones between his hands as he returned to the group. He allowed his gaze to drift slightly as he passed by the statue and felt himself wonder again what had really happened. It would probably be one of the many mysteries he would never have a proper answer for.

'Our father,' Dante heard whispered from behind him and had to remind himself he was in the park so drawing his guns was not appropriate. It was probably someone else talking about their own dad that his brain had decided sounded like Vergil's voice.

'Vergil is in hell and he isn't coming back. No one is coming back for me,' Dante thought bitterly. He was the last member of the family left here and that wasn't going to change.

"Are you staring at that statue again?" Patty asked as she ran over to Dante to take one of the ice cream cones.

"It's an interesting statue," Dante replied, handing the cones to everyone as they joined the group.

"Who was he?" Minerva asked as she licked the melting ice cream.

"A warrior," 'who fought to save you all.' "He must have had a major victory to be given a statue and now no one remembers his name," 'which is probably best for me. Being known by demons as the son of the traitor is bad enough, I don't want humans thinking of me as my father's son as well.'

"He looks a bit like you," Severus commented, noticing the slight tensing of Dante's stance since he had been asked about the statue. He was obviously uncomfortable with something but that could be the potion starting to have an effect. Keeping Dante talking might provide some interesting information.

"Horses don't like me and I'm not very fond of them. I doubt I'd make a very good knight." Dante bit into his ice cream cone and smiled as he tasted the cold vanilla with strawberry sauce. Even annoying questions wouldn't stop him enjoying this kind of treat.

"Could use a thestral or a hippogriff," Rubeus suggested as he swiftly finished his ice cream cone.

"I believe a dragon would probably be suitable for a demonic steed," was Minerva's opinion and Patty just looked thoughtful. Dante suspected Patty was trying to work out what the creatures Rubeus had mentioned were, he only knew what they were because Rubeus had been talking about them on the phone last week. He had seen thestrals before and they seemed to like him, occasionally picking off some of the demons which evaded Dante's weaponry or directing him towards a hell gate which needed closing.

"I'll stick with my motorbike," Dante replied as he licked his fingers clean of the sticky ice cream and wiped them on his jacket.

"Motorbikes are brilliant," Rubeus said as he slapped Dante on the shoulder in a friendly gesture.

'That slap would probably hurt if I was a normal human,' Dante thought as he felt his shoulder pushed down by Rubeus's hand. 'My shoulder shouldn't have moved, Rubeus isn't strong enough to do that… I can't summon my power. What has that potion done?'

"I think your potion has worked, Severus."

"Really? I thought it would take longer to seal away your demon half." Severus looked thoughtful as he gazed at Dante. "I hope I didn't make it too strong. You can still access some of your power, can't you?"

"I'll test it properly back at the shop."

"Have you made Dante human?" Patty asked, staring at Dante in awe. She seemed fascinated by him and Dante wondered what she was planning to subject his human side to.

"The intention is to seal most of his demonic power away so the wards won't affect him so strongly. Then we can try the charmed objects and choose whichever charms are the most effective to combine into one object." Minerva smiled at Patty as she explained.

"Do you feel ok?" Rubeus asked as Dante looked down at his hands. To most onlookers his hands were unremarkable, but there were small red sparks between his fingers occasionally which seemed to be the focus of Dante's scrutiny.

"I'm fine. It's just like being exhausted."

"As long as you're sure," Rubeus told him, putting a hand on Dante's shoulder again and feeling a slight tingle under his fingers.

'He didn't seem to feel it!' Dante thought as he realised his attempt to force Rubeus's hand away with his demonic power hadn't had any noticeable effect.

* * *

Back in the shop Dante tried to summon his strength and was only able to bring a few red sparks into his palm. He didn't want to try shifting to his devil trigger as it would probably exhaust him too much for whatever tasks the group needed him to perform. Holding his hand out he tried to summon Rebellion from its position on the wall and was happy to see it fly over to him. At least that still worked. There was normally a feeling of power Dante associated with holding his demonic weapons, his own essence blending with theirs to reach a higher state of abilities, but this seemed dulled.

"Interesting," Dante said quietly as he lifted Rebellion up for a closer look at the ornament on the handle, wondering if it was possible for him to even come close to activating it currently. "I doubt I would make a very good bodyguard in this state."

"The potion will not last long," Severus assured him. "You will be back to terrorising the citizens again soon."

"That sounded dangerously close to being a joke, Severus," Minerva commented with a smile. "We should hurry anyway. It would be a shame to waste this opportunity with idle chatter. Come along, all of you."

* * *

Minerva's office was an inviting location Dante thought for the moment before his chest felt tight as the wards started trying to suffocate him and stop his heart again. This wasn't the same as last time, he felt no danger of blacking out and the pressure was focused within his torso, but he could feel something else in his mind. It was as if his demonic side was trapped from taking over and was desperate to save them from this pain by triggering.

'You'll make it worse! The wards are triggered by you!' Dante thought, desperate to stay in control of this automatic response to danger. His eyes were shut and he could hear his own breathing and heartbeat pounding in his ears. Nothing else was registering about his surroundings as the rest of the group rushed around him and tried to gain his attention.

"I don't think that potion was strong enough," Minerva said as she hurried to pull one of the charms out of her bag. It was obvious that Dante was in pain and trying to fight an internal battle of some kind.

Patty was calling his name and trying to get his attention as she noticed the tears begin to leak out of the corners of his eyes. Tugging on his coat was receiving no response and she was starting to worry about how much pain he must be in. She had seen him pierced through the chest with his own sword and he just pulled it out like it was nothing, but now he seemed to be struggling.

"Make him hold this," Minerva said to Rubeus as she handed him the first charmed item. Rubeus forced Dante's fingers open on one hand and noticed the cuts his lengthy fingernails had made in his palms. Ignoring the slight nick he received from pushing the fingers closed around the first charm Rubeus continued to hold Dante's hand as he felt the tension begin to leave.

'I must be holding one of the charms,' Dante thought as he felt his heartbeat start to drop and it became easier to breath. He slowly became aware of someone holding his right hand closed around an object and something pulling on the left side of his coat. 'I'm still upright. People are here … Patty on my left holding my coat. I can smell her fear. Who's holding my hand? I can smell animals so it must be Rubeus. Minerva and Severus are a metre in front of me. They're all waiting for me to respond.' Dante tried to force his eyes open but the bright light of the room made him close them quickly and he heard the gasps from Severus and Minerva. 'So I triggered slightly, my teeth are sharper too and probably my nails.'

"Dante are you ok?" Minerva asked quietly after he shut his red eyes again.

"I've had worse hangovers." Dante's voice sounded slightly rougher and deeper, with an added layer that none of the group were happy to analyse.

"So that charm works," Minerva said happily. "We should try another."

A second charm was pressed into Dante's left hand by Minerva and he happily held it, feeling the pressure lift even further. Rubeus had let go of his hand and Minerva now reached for the first charm to take it away. Dante allowed her to take it and felt some of the pressure return. His demon side seemed to growl at him to just grab the stones and kill this annoying woman.

'She's helping us. I know it hurts now but she's trying to find a way to make the pain stop.'

"How does that compare?" Dante heard the sound of a parchment and quill being used.

"It's easier to breath but my heart rate is higher."

"Good," Minerva responded. "Here's another one." Dante held out his hands and exchanged the charms. This one felt less effective instantly and his lungs felt like they were burning again. He let his knees give in as he started coughing to fight for breath. Four pairs of hands were holding him as he tasted blood in his mouth whilst he was coughing. Something cold and hard was being pushed into the hand he was trying to hold to his mouth as he coughed.

"Hold it, Dante," someone said and he tried to obey. His fingers were helped to close around the hard stone as he felt his consciousness begin to slip away.

'They need me to stay awake,' Dante hissed at his demon side in annoyance. 'Help me stay awake!' He felt the power flow through his veins and was certain the group must have felt it as well.

"That's a devil trigger," he heard Patty saying to the others as the sound of his own heartbeat faded from his ears. "Are you feeling any better?" she asked as Dante blinked to clear his vision.

"I don't think that charm works," Dante managed to say as he attempted to sit up with help from the group around him.

"We still have three others, if you are ok to try them?" Minerva had concern in her voice.

"As long as I can get back to my shop before this potion completely wears off. Triggering has probably got rid of most of it."

The last three stones were hurriedly exchanged as Dante felt himself starting to pass out. He was no longer being asked questions as Severus seemed to be casting some kind of spell to take notes of all his vital signs. Rubeus was sat on the floor with him, exchanging the stones with Minerva and holding Dante's hands closed around them, whilst supporting Dante's back to keep him upright.

"That's the last one. Dante, are you still awake?" Minerva asked as she bent down in front of him and felt his forehead. "He's burning up. Rubeus can you carry him through the fireplace?"

"Of course."

Dante felt himself being lifted up but couldn't fight it as he felt his body trying to draw in breath and failing to inflate his lungs properly. He was being held like a child, his body pressed close to Rubeus's chest, how he had held Patty many times to carry her up to bed and to comfort her.

The fireplace felt warm and the air stopped burning his throat every time he tried to draw a breath.

Bed covers were cold against his skin as he was laid down on them.

Sleep was welcome as his body started repairing itself.

"We should let him sleep," Minerva suggested, "but we need to keep an eye on him encase the potion causes any problems."

"I think his demonic side was a little stronger than I anticipated," Severus commented, annoyed his potion hadn't done what he had expected. "He should have been more protected than that. I will keep monitoring his vitals until he wakes up."

"What should we do whilst we wait for him to come round?" Minerva asked, looking at Patty who was stroking Dante's hair out of his face. It stuck in odd clumps to his forehead with sweat and Patty was pushing it up and back so it stood up in spikes.

"Do you know how to play poker?" Patty suggested as she looked past Dante and saw the pack of cards sat on his bedside table.

* * *

Heva: My logic with the wards is that Hogwarts has numerous spells protecting it so there would be some protecting against demons and I wanted Dante to be put at a major disadvantage. He's not free to wander around, he's owned for the duration of Patty's schooling.

I always got the impression from the books that no one knows what is going on in the school so presumed they wouldn't know what exactly was needed to protect Dante from the wards, hence the testing of various charmed items and in my head the potion Severus made was a mild version of whatever spells Albus and Poppy had used to provide temporary protection.

I hope this makes sense and people are enjoying the story so far. Thanks for the favourites and follows.

18/12/2015


	3. Chapter 2

Back again and thank you so much for all the reviews, favourites and follows this story has gotten, as well as the very tasty ice cream from LunaraGK. I'm genuinely surprised its caught so many people's imaginations! I've replied to the reviewers that I can but thanks to the guests and person who has PMing disabled, sorry I can't reply directly to you. Quick responses to you all are 'no I don't plan to have Dante train Harry to join Devil May Cry, at least not currently' and 'here's the next bit. I hope you continue to enjoy it'.

Warnings for this chapter: Dante is not his usual self for part of this chapter. He's going through a rather bad patch of self hating. It is also implied that a side character, who appears in this chapter and the next, is gay. Also a mention of Dante owning several non-child-friendly photographs hidden in a drawer (its left up to your imagination what could be on them).

* * *

"Fold," Minerva conceded as Patty smirked at her cards.

"Me too," Severus complained as he let his gaze fall back on to the parchment showing Dante's vitals. The moving lines showed his breathing had evened out into a steady sleep pattern with his heart rate slowing considerably to match. In fact if Dante had been human Severus would have been concerned by how low the values were, but Dante wasn't human as the group had felt for a moment...

"I'll raise," Rubeus told them as he pushed another couple of his chips towards the middle of the table.

"Check," Patty replied and pushed a matching two chips out in front of her. Minerva laid a fifth card face up on the table and saw Patty's smile widen.

"I fold," Rubeus said as he spotted the grin.

"I win again," Patty announced as she pulled the chips towards herself.

"She'll have the clothes off your backs if you aren't careful."

"Morrison! Did you fix the TV?" Patty scrambled over the arm of the sofa to run over to the new arrival, her large pile of poker chips and cards forgotten. Minerva glanced at them out of interest and noticed Patty had only had a pair which would have lost against her own two pair or Rubeus's flush.

"It was beyond repair. I bought you two a new one out of Dante's payment." Morrison indicated the briefcase he was holding. "I also met Trish who suggested you go on a shopping trip with her and Lady before leaving."

"That sounds fun. Where's the new TV?" Patty asked excitedly. "I haven't had my fix in three weeks after Dante broke the last one!"

"In my car. Go and get Dante to bring it in. It's too heavy for me to lift."

"Dante's still recovering, you should let him sleep a bit more," Severus suggested as Patty turned towards the stairs.

"I'll let him go back to sleep after he brings in the TV." She dashed up the stairs as Morrison put the briefcase down on Dante's desk and pulled off his hat and coat.

"Have you known them for a long time?" Minerva asked as they heard Patty yelling at Dante upstairs.

"I met Dante more time ago than I wish to count, and Patty joined our little family last year. They work well together and Dante might even start acting like an adult soon." Morrison smiled as he looked towards the source of the shouting. Dante's voice was telling Patty to go away and let him have ten more minutes, whilst Patty was explaining that he could have as many minutes as he wanted if he brought in the TV.

"I guess he's recovered," Severus pointed out as they heard someone getting out of the bed and approaching the stairs.

"He'll sleep for days if you let him, but injuries will heal in a few minutes. If he's trying to persuade you he needs lots of time in bed to heal he is probably just being lazy." Morrison stepped into the kitchen area as he finished speaking and started looking for coffee granules to make himself a cup.

"You telling lies about me, Morrison?" Dante asked as he started walking down the stairs.

"No, warning your new co-workers about how lazy you are. Where's the coffee?"

"Ran out this morning and I haven't had a chance to go to the shops," Dante replied as Patty bounced down the stairs behind him. "There's tea if you want it."

"Dante, go fetch the TV," Patty told him again as she jumped onto his back.

"It's in the back," Morrison informed them as he stepped out of the kitchen to throw the keys to Dante. "No dents in my car, Dante."

"I'll be careful."

"More careful than you are with your own belongings," Morrison commented in response.

"You really care about them, don't you?" Minerva asked as the door swung shut behind Dante and Patty, who seemed determined to stay attached to Dante's back until the TV was brought inside.

"I consider Dante a good friend. He may be an idiot, violent and childish but his heart's in the right place and he can be serious when he needs to be. Patty's still a child but she's a good kid. She demands things from Dante, but that's the way they work."

"We'll look after them," Severus replied wondering what Morrison wasn't saying. It was obvious he trusted Dante with not only his own life but those of others as well. However something wasn't being said, which made Severus wonder how easy it would be to slip him some veritaserum and ask Morrison what he was hiding.

'I could use legilimency, but I doubt that would be a good thing to have Dante discover. I might need to use it on him later, I don't trust his intentions, especially when this guy is so clearly hiding something,' Severus thought as the doors were pulled open to let Dante back in carrying the new TV. 'I will have to be careful, and discuss this with the headmaster. We cannot have a rogue demon wandering around the school, his loyalty will need to be tested somehow.'

"Thanks Morrison!" Patty said as she excitedly ran over to Morrison to hug him whilst Dante put the TV down on one of the tables.

"How are you feeling?" Rubeus asked Dante as the latter sat down on the sofa next to him.

"Like I need beer and pizza. Has Patty been taking money off you all?" Dante nodded towards the poker chips and cards on the table.

"She's rather talented at Texas hold'em," Minerva commented as she shifted awkwardly in her seat. The brief feeling of scales under her fingertips as they had all held Dante when he collapsed was unnerving. When speaking to him on the phone over the last two weeks he had seemed so human, despite most of the conversations being about his demonic nature, and she hadn't been prepared to witness his other side. Those red eyes that they had glimpsed for a moment and the lengthened finger nails. He was a predator, and his prey was meant to be humans. She felt her heartbeat rising as the adrenaline level rose with her anxiety.

'He won't hurt any of us. He's a good demon who looks after Patty and is working for Albus as a protector. He kills demons, not humans,' Minerva tried to persuade herself to calm down.

'Well they're still all here. I guess I didn't scare them too much earlier. Minerva and Severus seem a little uncomfortable, but that might be because of the potion not working properly. Who am I trying to fool, of course it's due to me! Everything's fine when they can deny what I am in their heads, but as soon as they see the truth they want to run away and hide! Sometimes I understand why Vergil was so reluctant to form attachments to them. It always hurts when they turn around and run away!'

"It would be great to get a proper look at your devil side," Rubeus said with a smile as he looked down at Dante.

"I'm not being your pet, Rubeus, and I don't think everyone here shares your enthusiasm for my party trick." Dante glanced towards Minerva in time to see a definite shiver at his mention of his devil trigger.

'Minerva is definitely not a fan. I guess I'll have to try and prove I'm a good demon to Minerva, whilst stopping Rubeus from turning me into part of his zoo.'

"Are you already trying to scare your co-workers?" Morrison asked as he walked towards the group with his mug of tea and holding a bottle of beer.

"Not on purpose," Dante replied as he took the offered alcohol. "Did you get enough information?"

"I think we can combine the charms which worked into one object, which should protect you," Severus commented as he glanced at the parchment still laid out on the table.

"We should take our results back to show Albus," Minerva informed the group as she glanced around, trying not to look at Dante.

'She's definitely scared of me,' Dante thought. 'I'm going to have to find something to prove I'm not going to hurt her.'

"It would be sensible to get this sorted sooner rather than later," Severus agreed and moved to stand up.

"Thanks," Dante managed to mutter.

'Of course they would run away as soon as they could,' he thought. 'So much for being accepted as a person. Rubeus is only interested because he thinks of me as another animal to study. Minerva is terrified of me and can't even look at me. Severus is … I don't know.'

"It was good to meet you all," Morrison said with a smile and shook hands with the group before they made their way upstairs. Patty appeared to not even notice them as she stared at the moving pictures on the TV, engrossed in some kind of soap opera playing out on the screen.

Dante headed to the kitchen to grab another bottle as he heard the whoosh of them leaving upstairs. He hadn't seen the point in trying to force them to stay any longer, especially when he had no plan on how to win over Minerva's trust. That would need a strategy and, unlike with Lady, he didn't really have the option to play the alpha male and prove his strength. He should probably ask the brunette for suggestions though, she might have a good idea and knowing the reasons Lady trusted him might make it possible to demonstrate the same things to Minerva. Of course Lady had decided to trust him whilst undergoing the most traumatic experience of her life. Maybe he should ask other people why they trusted him as well...after he had drowned his annoyance in a few more bottles.

"So why are you in a bad mood?" Morrison asked as he watched the devil hunter disappear through the doorway. He was familiar with Dante's moods by now and knew when it was ok to question and when it was best to just leave him alone. This situation had potential to go either way, but right now it was safe to question.

There was the sound of the fridge opening from the kitchen but no answer.

"They seem nice," Morrison tried, guessing whatever was bothering Dante must be linked to his new co-workers.

"They're scared of me," Dante's voice said calmly. He still hadn't appeared from the kitchen and Morrison could hear a cupboard closing.

"If you triggered they are probably just in shock. I doubt any of them have seen a devil before," Morrison tried.

'Most people get scared when they realise what you are, Dante. I'm sure it hurts every time but we are just humans who see you as a predator.'

"Give them time to calm down and I'm sure it will be fine."

"We shall see," Dante responded as he stepped out of the kitchen holding a glass of red wine and went to sit in his desk chair. Morrison sighed as he recognised Dante's 'this conversation is over' signals, draining the wine glass and putting a magazine over his face were hard to misinterpret.

* * *

The new clothes were packed into a suitcase by Trish and Lady after their shopping trip. Dante had been ordered to not forget the suitcase when they left for the UK and he wasn't to look in it before then. Patty had grinned when Dante tried asking her what the girls were hiding from him and was told to wait and see.

Morrison had taken Dante for lunch whilst the girls took Patty shopping yesterday, which typically left Dante with a new addition to his wardrobe that would never be worn and a large debt. It seemed Lady was feeling generous today though and the clothing was charged to her credit card. Dante expected the credit card bill would somehow appear in his name though. She had achieved that trick before.

Dante thought back over the day as he leaned back in his desk chair.

He had avoided Morrison's attempt at serious conversation over lunch and flirted with the waitress. This had been met with several long suffering sighs from Morrison, but he didn't try to stop Dante's appalling pick-up lines.

"Do you think you and Patty will be ok?" Morrison had asked as he drove them both home. Dante was sure Morrison had expected him to refuse to be serious at the restaurant, but it was still nice to spend time together. The car, however, was the chance to be honest and serious, well as serious as either of them could be whilst sober and not in immediate danger.

"I will miss you, Morrison, if that is what you are trying to ask," Dante said quietly whilst staring out the car window.

"I'm sure you will be so busy getting turned down by a new group of women that you won't have a chance to miss me."

"What do you mean 'turned down'? No woman can resist me when I turn on my charm!"

"In that case why don't you use your charm on Lady to get her to lower your debt?"

"Lady isn't a woman. She's a devil in disguise." Morrison laughed at Dante's accusation. It wasn't the first time he had said this about Lady, and it wouldn't be the last, but it was only meant as a playful insult. Lady was rarely happy when Dante said it to her face and it usually resulted in a bullet through the leg, or somewhere a bit higher, depending on the situation.

The silence stretched between them for a moment as Morrison turned left at the junction.

"Why do you trust me?"

"Sorry?" Morrison replied, not sure he had heard correctly.

"I asked why you trusted me. You know what I am, what I do and I think you have some idea of what I want to do." Dante paused and drew in a breath. "But you still trust me to do jobs and protect people and look after Patty. You let a kid stay alone with me! I'm sure there are laws against knowingly leaving a child in danger and I can't think of many places worse than-"

"Dante!" Morrison cut him off. "You are not a demon!" Dante gave a weak laugh from the passenger seat. "No! Listen to me!" Morrison pulled the car over to the side of the road so he could focus entirely on his miserable passenger. He took a moment to try and compose an answer in his head as Dante stared back at him.

"I'm listening."

"You may not physically be entirely human, but I don't think I've met anyone whose feelings are more human than yours! Do you remember the first time you protected me on a job?"

Dante nodded, how could he forget? He had jumped in the way of a bullet meant for Morrison and heard the inhale of breath as the reality of the situation had settled into Morrison's mind. Before that day it had only been a story from Dante's previous manager and several less than credible witnesses.

"I was terrified at the time. You were shot in the chest and didn't even flinch. Instead you took down the entire group before running back to me. It was at that moment I realised I could trust you with my life. You were terrified that I was going to leave you." Morrison closed his eyes to remember the panicked look on Dante's face that day, and his attempts to provide reassurance. The emotions had been so desperate and human, and Morrison had realised at that moment that whatever happened Dante would protect him. He had been in situations since where he had witnessed Dante's other side but the only emotions induced had been surprise, when first witnessing Dante's trigger, and an almost calm comforting feeling of being protected. When Dante asked him to do something whilst on a job, like the hotel evacuation when discovering Nina and Patty, Morrison did it, as he knew Dante never requested things without a reason. If he told Morrison to run away, it would be for Morrison's protection, and if he asked Morrison to stay, Morrison knew he would as Dante would ensure no harm came to him.

"You know being shot doesn't kill me," Dante muttered. "I would have protected anyone from that bullet."

"That's why I trust you. I know you don't want people to get hurt. You try to protect everyone, all the time."

"I protect them from demons, but I'm one myself." Morrison sighed as Dante glared at the dashboard in front of him.

"You are human. You have a conscience and empathy, demons don't have those."

They were both silent for a while.

"Is this what has been bothering you since you accepted the job in England?" Dante nodded and Morrison sighed. "You have your best supporter going with you. Patty will set anyone straight who dares to not trust you."

"Thanks, Morrison," Dante replied with a smile, probably remembering one of the poor people who had the misfortune of receiving one of Patty's lectures.

"Try and enjoy yourself, Dante. If you need anything just call me," Morrison offered, knowing Dante never would.

* * *

The chair creaked as Dante pushed back slightly more to get comfortable for a mid-afternoon nap, which was interrupted by the phone ringing. He grumbled and considered pulling the cord out of the wall. Whoever was calling definitely wanted him to answer the phone as they hadn't hung up after the first minute of Dante ignoring the call.

"Answer the bloody phone, Dante!" Lady yelled from upstairs where she was helping Patty pack her suitcases. Dante continued to grumble as he kicked the desk to send the phone handle into his outstretched palm.

"Yeah?" he muttered into the receiver letting his irritation be heard by whoever had decided to deprive him of a nap.

"You sound cheerful," the voice on the other end told him.

"You woke me up, Albus," Dante complained as he recognised the British accent. He had decided fairly swiftly that he wasn't going to try very hard to behave around the old man, whether he was supposedly the best wizard of the age or not.

"I hope you don't mind a change of scenery as I need you to do a job for me in London."

"When do we leave?" Dante asked. He had expected to be heading to the school soon, but hadn't anticipated a side trip first. Patty still needed to buy everything on the list Minerva had left them for the start of the school year, but Dante had expected the teachers would give them some help as he had no idea where to buy a wand.

"I had hoped you would be able to get to Diagon Alley in a couple of hours to meet Rubeus. If you don't object to it I will transport you and Patty to London before taking your luggage to Hogwarts."

"That'll be fine. I assume we'll be able to use the fireplaces to travel back here for anything we haven't packed yet."

"Of course, although I request you let me know whenever you plan to leave school grounds so I have some idea where you are. I will point out that an absent guardian is not a very useful one, so I do expect you on site most of the year."

"Don't worry about it. I'll make sure everyone is safe all the time. It's my job." Dante replied remembering his conversation with Morrison again and glanced towards the kitchen, wondering if he had any pizza left in the fridge. If they were leaving soon he better finish it up.

"I will let you finish packing and see you in two hours to travel to London. Please make sure you and Patty have a bag packed for a week there before you travel to Hogwarts."

"Ok, I'll throw some clothes in a bag." Lady and Patty were still packing upstairs and Dante could hear their voices if he listened carefully.

"Good bye for now, Dante." Dante dropped the phone back onto its holder as he stood up to look for his leftover pizza.

* * *

Lady hugged Patty as Dante explained which boxes needed taking to Hogwarts. Albus was nodding as he took mental notes which boxes were Dante's and which were Patty's. The house elves had set up quite a nice apartment style living area for Dante to stay in, which Albus hoped would be suitable for the half-demon as he was unsure if Dante required anything different from the average human, and a temporary second bed had been set up for Patty to use before she was sorted into a house.

"Look after yourself, and kick Dante whenever he needs it. If you want me to come and beat some sense into him just give me a call," Lady was saying when Dante finally finished explaining the stack of boxes currently residing in the front of the shop. He had been reluctant to leave any of his devil arms behind for the girls to nick whilst he was gone, so he had been forced to pack them into the boxes, with many complaints from Agni, Rudra and Nevan about how they should be treated with more respect. Dante had promised to unpack them and polish them all when he got to Hogwarts, as long as they didn't cause any trouble.

"Are you trying to take over more of my jobs, Lady?" Dante asked as Lady released Patty from their hug.

"I think I'll leave the 'no running in the corridor' job to you. Taking cash away from your broke ass sounds more rewarding if I let you actually earn something once in a while. Besides whilst you're away Trish and I get to steal all your customers."

The two hunters stared at each other for a moment before Dante took a step forward and threw his arms round Lady's shoulders. She responded by pulling him closer into a tight hug.

"Take care of Patty and try to have some fun."

"You look after my shop. I expect to recognise it when I get back."

The hug continued a bit longer in silence until Dante pulled away, concerned he might have held Lady too tight.

'I'll miss you,' Dante thought but refused to say out loud. Lady would understand anyway and he could tell from the hug she felt the same.

"Are we ready?" Albus asked as Dante turned back to him. He offered his hand to Patty as she picked up a small suitcase, leaving Dante with the larger suitcase to carry.

The last sight of Devil May Cry Patty and Dante saw was Lady waving at them before the ground seemed to drop away and they started a new life in the UK.

* * *

The inn was great in Dante's opinion, much better than many motels Dante had stayed in whilst on jobs. Albus had spoken to the barman in the Leaky Cauldron, Dante had only caught his first name, Tom, and keys were handed over to two twin rooms. Dante had queried the need for two twin rooms and Albus had explained Rubeus and Harry would be joining them for the few days they were in London.

"This place is strange," Patty complained as she followed Dante down the stairs back to the pub. They had put their bags in one of the rooms, and had a brief look into the second room, before agreeing to head back downstairs and wait for Rubeus to appear.

"Dante," Tom called from behind the bar. "Professor Dumbledore left this for you." He waved a brown paper bag which was clutched in his hand.

"Thanks," Dante took the offered bag and shoved it in a pocket as he glanced at the pumps on the bar. "What would you recommend whilst we wait?"

"For the kid, butterbeer is rather popular. For yourself, what is your usual?"

"I'm usually stuck with Budweiser or Corona, but prefer darker ales when my local has them on tap."

"Try a pint of the Dragon Scale," Tom suggested as he poured a glass of butterbeer.

"Sounds good."

"So we travel to London and all you plan to do is drink?" Patty complained as Dante carried their tankards over to a table. They sat down and sipped their drinks whilst looking around the room.

"If this is the type of drink they serve here, I definitely plan to drink," Dante told her with a smile and took a large gulp of his pint. Patty sighed at him but appeared to be enjoying her drink as well.

* * *

Rubeus pushed open the door to the Leaky Cauldron and immediately spotted Patty chatting happily with Tom. She seemed to be explaining something to him with lots of hand movements and Tom was enthralled.

"Hello Tom, Patty."

"Ah Hagrid. The usual?" Tom replied as he reached for a new tankard.

"Nah. I'm on Hogwarts business. Taking Harry and Patty here to get their school supplies. Where's Dante?" Tom pointed across the room to a table in the corner where Dante was sat with a couple of women who appeared to be hanging onto his every word.

"It's quite impressive, almost like a male veela," Tom commented. Hagrid laughed, fairly sure Dante was using his demonic charms on the women. He'd read that many demons had some way of putting their human prey at ease to make them less likely to try to escape.

"I'll get him," Patty said as she headed across the room. She ran the last few meters to launch herself onto Dante's lap in a hug. "Daddy, we need to go and buy my books for school before mommy gets back," she said loud enough for even Rubeus and Tom to hear across the room.

Tom laughed, "That's one way to put off his admirers." The two women were making excuses to leave as Dante glared at Patty.

"You are! You're Harry Potter," someone said as they approached Rubeus and Harry.

"Bless my soul! Harry Potter, what an honour! Sorry, I must have been so distracted to not notice! Welcome back." Tom stuck his hand over the bar and shook Harry's. All eyes in the pub were now on Harry and he tried to hide slightly behind Hagrid to avoid the gazes.

"It's a pleasure to have you back, Mr Potter," someone was saying as they shook hands before a woman started introducing herself.

"Let the poor kid breathe," an American voice cut through and the group parted swiftly. Harry was thankful and looked up to see the man he assumed was called Dante looking down at him. "You ok? Looked like your fan club was a bit too much for you."

"I think you're just jealous because more women are interested in him than in you!" Patty said accusingly. Rubeus chuckled as he glanced down at Harry who still stood slightly behind him.

"Harry, this is Dante. He's in charge of school security. The young lass is Patty, who will be starting this year with you."

"Good to meet you both," Harry managed to stutter out as he glanced between the two new arrivals.

"Professor Quirrell's been in today. You might meet him somewhere around Diagon Alley but he seemed to be in a rush," Tom told the group. "Came in here earlier, took one look around and acted as if he'd forgotten something important he had to do."

"I'll keep an eye out. Would be nice to introduce you to a few more members of staff if we get the chance." Rubeus grinned proudly, Dante was sure he was feeling happy about being put in charge of something so important. "We should go buy your school supplies."

* * *

The group didn't attract as much attention as Dante had expected in Diagon Alley. He had got used to people taking second and third looks at him, the hair colour and slightly larger build than typical humans tended to receive attention, but no one gave him more than a passing glance.

'Wizards must pay less attention to looks than most people,' Dante thought. 'I'd have expected people to be staring at us as Rubeus isn't exactly normal looking. I guess they can alter their appearance through magic so you can't be sure what anyone really looks like.'

Harry was asking Rubeus something whilst Patty was looking over the list of things they'd need for the school year.

"Well there's your money, Harry! Gringotts, the wizard bank! Ain't no safer place. Not one. Except perhaps Hogwarts."

The building was imposing and Dante found himself looking upwards to the doors where an armed goblin stood. The goblin was dressed in what Dante assumed would be the bank's uniform and didn't appear to be particularly threatening at first glance. Dante expected the bank had much more intricate protection inside and the goblin guard was only for show. It might be best not to find out the hard way if demons were welcome or not.

"I'll wait for you outside," Dante suggested as they reached the base of the steps.

"We shouldn't be very long. Meet you back here once we're finished." Rubeus was grinning broadly and Dante wondered if the half-giant realised why Dante might be reluctant to enter the building.

'I'm still not sure whether he's just playing the childish act or not,' Dante thought as he watched the others head into the bank. Patty and Harry were both staring, trying to look at everything around them. They were probably feeling a little overwhelmed by the whole experience so far and Dante felt a bit of sympathy. His first experience of the wizarding community in America had been similarly mind blowing, but he had quickly become accustomed to the different merchandise he could find in the magic shops. Most of them sold things you could recognise as equivalents of muggle inventions or items linked with the casting of magic or creation of potions.

Walking along the street Dante glanced at the shops on either side before his gaze took in an ice cream parlour. The sight of ice cream made his mouth water and he felt his feet turn him towards the shop.

'Blast. I don't have any money,' Dante thought in frustration. 'I doubt they'll take dollars. Albus left me with that bag, hopefully he gave me some of my pay check early.' Pulling the bag out of his pocket Dante unravelled the top of it and peered inside. He was pleased to spot some coins inside with what looked suspiciously like a collar. The item looked even more like a collar when tipped out into his hand and Dante groaned as he understood what it was.

"You have an awful sense of humour, you old fart," Dante muttered as he shoved the collar back into his pocket. The coins were all silver in colour and Dante noted the inscription on them claiming they were property of Gringotts Bank and worth a sickle. He hoped they would be enough to buy an ice cream whilst he waited for the others.

"Hello sir," a friendly voice greeted Dante as he pushed open the door to the ice cream shop.

"Hi. Could I have a strawberry sundae?" Dante asked as he took in his new surroundings.

"Of course, sir. What brings someone like you all the way to Diagon Alley?" the server asked as he began preparing the order.

"Someone like me?" Dante questioned.

'Is it obvious to these people that I'm not entirely human?'

"We don't get many Americans visiting."

'So that's what he meant.'

"This place could do with a bit more advertising. I know plenty of people who'd enjoy a vacation somewhere like this." Dante pulled out a chair from one of the tables and sat down. It would be amusing to take Lady here and watch her try to understand everything.

"That might help. Although I think most in the wizarding world have heard of Diagon Alley." The man stepped around the counter and put Dante's sundae on the table with a spoon.

"How much do I owe you?" Dante asked as he fished the coins out of his pocket.

"A conversation or two sickles. As I said before it's unusual to get Americans visiting and you look like someone with a few tales to tell." Dante noticed a slight blush appeared on the gentleman's cheeks above his moustache.

"The name's Dante. I'm a devil hunter." Dante smirked as he extended his hand towards his new friend.

"Florean, and this is my shop." Florean shook the offered hand before pulling out the chair opposite Dante. "So why is an American devil hunter in Diagon Alley?"

"I'm the new head of security at Hogwarts and my daughter is buying her equipment to start learning there in September." Dante scooped up a small amount of ice cream and ate it as he finished speaking. "That is possibly the best ice cream I have ever tasted."

Florean laughed at the look on his customer's face as Dante took a second bite.

"I'm glad you approve." The door opened to admit two girls and Florean got up to serve them. Dante continued eating as he watched Florean prepare the new customers' orders before returning to Dante's table. "So Professor Dumbledore has a devil hunter to run crowd control? I'm not surprised he's increased security this year, with Harry Potter starting it is possible you may be needed."

"The old coot seemed to think it was important." Dante grinned as he continued to eat his sundae. "You have a major talent. What's your secret?"

"If I told you that I would be out of a job," Florean laughed. "I'm glad you approve though. Most of my customers don't appreciate my art."

"So what do you get up to when you aren't making ice cream or flirting with your customers?" Dante asked with a smile. He licked the spoon clean as Florean chuckled at Dante's accusation.

"Ok, I did charge you with conversation for a reason." The blush returning and staining Florean's cheeks made Dante grin. "I have an interest in history. The witch hunts I find particularly fascinating. Did you know the witch hunters were so ineffective at their job they burnt more than twice as many muggles as they did witches?"

"I had no idea," Dante responded as he finished his ice cream.

"They believed, the muggles I mean, that all magic came from demons. Imagine that!"

"Well contracting demons will give you some skills which would appear like magic to muggles."

"I suppose that is true. I will have to investigate the role demons played in the whole event!" Florean looked almost ecstatic at the prospect of discovering something new. Dante smiled and wondered when it would be possible to escape without seeming overly rude. He didn't want to upset the best strawberry sundae maker he'd found.

"Would you like another?" Florean asked as he noticed Dante had finished his ice cream.

"Nah, I'm going to have to go and find the rest of my group. I'll try and pop in later to have another bite." Dante grinned as his comment made Florean blush again.

The street was still bustling with people when Dante stepped outside and he decided to continue looking in the shop windows whilst waiting for the group to return. He was sure he was distinctive enough to be able to be spotted by Rubeus over the heads of the crowd.

* * *

Rubeus stuffed the battered looking package into an interior pocket as the two children chatted outside the vault. He had been surprised by the wealth in Harry's vault, but James was from a wizarding family which had sufficient funds to allow their members to live in relative luxury. Patty's vault was no surprise to Rubeus as Albus had reminded him that the Lowell's had made their impact on the wizarding world through the study of demons and their vault would no doubt be full of artefacts related to it. Patty and Harry had both seemed shocked when the goblin accompanying them released the secure lock and swung open the doors. The room had been stacked with books and miscellaneous objects which appeared to belong to an antique store.

"I guess all of these things are …" Patty appeared to be struggling to find a suitable word to describe it. "Demonic."

"The demons trapped within the objects are sealed," the goblin said as he watched Patty. "They cannot escape whilst they remain within the vault. I would not advise removing them from here." A bag was quickly filled with coins before the group left, eager to be away from the antique collection.

"So your family is famous for trapping demons?" Harry was asking as Rubeus headed into the vault to collect the package for Albus.

"I think so. I don't know much as I only met my mom last year. Before that I was in an orphanage. What about your family?"

"I don't remember my parents. My aunt and uncle raised me."

"Oh, that must be great, almost like a real family!" Patty grinned.

"They don't really think of me as their son. My aunt never liked her sister or my father so they don't want me and make sure I know it."

"Stupid people! I'll have to ask Dante to go round and scare them!"

"You'll do no such thing," Rubeus cut into their conversation. "They may be unpleasant but they do look after you, Harry, and I'm sure it's better than being stuck in an orphanage. Anyhow you'll be starting Hogwarts now, so you won't be there, except for the Summer holidays."

"I doubt they'll want me back, so I might have to find somewhere else anyway."

"You can come and live with me and Dante!" Patty said excitedly and hugged Harry.

"Please return to the cart," the goblin asked after shutting the door to vault 713.

The ride back to the main hall of Gringotts was fairly quiet as Harry and Patty were busy staring around as they flew along the tracks.

"Come on you two. We need to find Dante," Rubeus told them as they stepped out of the cart. He checked the children were following and strode towards the exit, wanting to be away from the goblins as quickly as possible.

Dante wasn't visible outside which didn't surprise anyone. They had probably taken an hour in the bank which would be long enough for Dante to have wandered off to find something else more entertaining than waiting.

"Does anywhere sell ice cream?" Patty asked, trying to think about what could have attracted Dante's attention. She doubted he would have bought any more alcohol and he hadn't expected them to be long, so pizza was unlikely. Although she did remember Dante claiming his record was a large pizza in under 3 minutes.

"Florean Fortescue's," Rubeus informed her. "Do you think Dante would have gone there?"

"It's worth a look." Rubeus led Patty and Harry into the ice cream parlour where a few tables held people munching happily on a variety of frozen treats.

"Do you serve strawberry sundaes?" Patty asked as she looked at the ice cream selection on show.

"You're the second American to ask me for one today," Florean laughed.

"Do you know where Dante went? He was meant to wait for us."

"He left five minutes ago saying he needed to meet the rest of his group. Promised he would be back though for another strawberry sundae if he could."

"Thanks, Florean," Rubeus replied. "Could we get some cones to take away?"

"Of course. What flavours would you like?"

* * *

The ice cream was refreshing and Harry licked the treat hurriedly as if he feared it would disappear if he didn't eat it quickly.

"You'll get a brain freeze if you eat it too quickly," Patty scolded. She licked a trickle of ice cream that dripped down the outside of her cone.

"What?" Harry asked in confusion.

"If you eat the ice cream too quickly it'll give you a headache," Patty explained.

"Oh." He slowed his pace to match Patty's in the hope he'd avoid getting a headache.

"Dante!" Rubeus suddenly yelled making both children jump. They looked up at the half giant to see him waving in what they assumed was Dante's direction. The white hair and red coat were fairly easy to spot between the other people on the street and Dante weaved his way towards them.

"Ice creams?" Dante asked as he saw the group. "And you didn't get me one?"

"The guy in the shop said you'd already had one," Patty informed him as she licked her ice cream cone. "We still need to get everything for school."

"So what's on your list?" Dante asked as Patty pulled the parchment out of a pocket to wave at him.

"We need books," Harry told them as he looked up at Dante. Rubeus had been very nice so far and Patty seemed to be eager to be friends, as well as being as new to this world as him. Dante however was a mystery. Patty had seemed to imply Dante was her guardian, or at least protector, and her family sealed demons… Was this man a demon who was serving Patty's family?

"I saw a book store over there. I think it was called flourish and spots, or something like that." Dante was looking in the direction he had just come from, searching for the store he was referring to.

"Flourish and Blotts," Rubeus informed them. "It's the best place to get your textbooks."

"Let's go then." Dante smirked and started leading the group towards where he believed the shop was. Harry noticed people were giving the group looks, mostly focused on him, and it wasn't long before someone approached to shake his hand.

"It's good to meet you," the woman said excitedly. "Can I have a picture?"

"Ok," Harry said, unsure what to do.

"You're that girl from America! The one who defeated that demon!" a second woman who had approached the group exclaimed.

"Really?!" her friend almost shrieked. "Can we all have a picture together?"

"Of course," Patty said with a smile. "Dante, can you take the picture so we can all be in it?"

"Show me what to do," Dante told the woman holding the camera and she quickly pointed out which button to press.

"Ok everyone smile," Dante told the group as they stood together for the photo. A quick flash and the picture printed in a way which reminded Dante of the old style polaroid cameras. His polaroid camera hadn't contained film in a long time, but there was still a selection of pictures stuck in the back of a drawer where he hoped Patty would never look.

The woman took the camera out of Dante's hands and shook the picture until it developed.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed as she showed them the photo of the group smiling together. She gave Harry, then Patty a quick hug before the two women hurried away, chatting excitedly about how none of their friends were going to believe them.

"The photo was moving," Harry commented as they started heading towards the book store again.

"Wizards tend to use magic for everything. The photos don't use chemicals the way ours do to develop them. They use a spell instead which will let the image seem a little more …" Dante seemed to be searching for a word "alive."

"You aren't a wizard?" Harry asked, catching the use of 'ours' when talking about muggle photos.

"Nah. I'm just a devil hunter," Dante told him with a grin.

"A devil hunter?"

"I usually hunt demons."

'That doesn't really explain anything,' Harry thought.

"But most people tend to think of me as a mercenary and I take on the occasional job not related to demons. The old man seemed to think my skills might even be useful to provide security for your school." Dante's smile seemed smug as he spoke about his job.

"He makes it sound exciting, but really he's just someone who takes odd jobs for cash," Patty told them.

"Hey!"

"Sorry he's someone who is lazy, permanently in debt and refuses to work unless forced to or he thinks the job sounds fun."

"I'm all about the one day work week." Rubeus and Harry laughed as Patty started complaining that Dante was useless and would probably starve to death if there weren't people around to make him work.

'If he's a demon hunter it would make sense for him to work with the Lowell family,' Harry thought as he got control of his laughter. 'Why would a muggle be employed at a magic school though? I thought everyone there would be able to do magic.'

"Let's get this mission done," Dante informed them as he stepped into the book store.

* * *

Harry had decided Dante was a child pretending to be an adult. He had complained that textbooks were boring and he didn't understand why they existed except as torture. Dante had proceeded to search for books on demons and complain about how the author was wrong.

In the stationary shop Dante had been fascinated by the colour changing ink bottles and had started drawing doodles when the shop owner wasn't looking. Rubeus had been trying not to laugh when he realised what Dante was doing and the group left fairly swiftly after everything on the children's list was purchased.

"You two still need robes," Rubeus commented as Dante shifted the book bags he was holding into one hand to take the new bags from the stationary shop.

"Where's the best place to get them?" Patty asked. Dante recognised the excitement linked with clothes shopping.

"Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions. She'll measure you up and make sure you get ones which'll last all year."

The shop turned out to be quite small, well the customer area was small and the woman running it quickly shooed Rubeus and Dante back outside so she could measure the children.

A second boy was being measured first and Patty quickly greeted him, introducing herself and Harry. The boy told them his name was Draco as Madam Malkin finished his measurements and hurried off to find a uniform in the right size.

"Are you here to get a school uniform too?" Patty asked excitedly.

"Yes. I'm starting at Hogwarts in September." Draco looked around as if to check no one else would overhear him. "My father says he heard a rumour that a new member of staff has been hired who's a muggle. I don't think they should even let the other sort in and they've hired a muggle on staff! Muggle borns are bad enough. They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine! I think they should keep it in the wizarding families. What are your surnames?"

"Lowell," Patty said quickly, feeling like she needed to protect Harry from this boy. She had realised from what her mother had said that her family must be a 'wizarding family' and that seemed to be the best way to appease this guy.

"Wow. I'm a Malfoy."

"Here are your new robes, Mr Malfoy," Madam Malkin said as she reappeared with a bundle of clothing. She handed them to Draco and took the gold coins in exchange.

"I'll see you at school," Draco said as he left the measuring room and exited the shop.

"If all people from wizarding families are like that I think I'll end up killing someone in the first week," Patty informed Harry as she stepped onto the indicated stool to have her measurements taken.

"I think Dante may help you hide the body. He'll probably have killed a few students in the first day if they keep insulting him." Patty laughed at Harry's comment and Madam Malkin asked her to be quiet and still so she could use the tape measure.

* * *

"Oh, Dumbledore wanted you to keep an eye on this for him until you get back to Hogwarts." Rubeus handed the package over to Dante who turned it over in his hands. They were waiting outside the store for the children to finish and Dante had put the bags down beside the wall he was currently leaning on.

"What is it?" he shook the package by his ear to see if he could work out the contents.

"A gemstone," Rubeus smiled as Dante stuck the package into an inner pocket. He was sure Dante realised it was more than an ordinary gem, even though he hadn't seen where it had been stored.

"I'm sure I can keep it safe for the old coot."

The two stood in silence as they watched people pass them by. A boy exited Madam Malkin's shop with a box, probably filled with his new uniform. He glanced at the two of them and seemed slightly scared before a mask of superiority slipped into place. The blond hair caught the light as the boy turned his head and walked away.

'Watch him carefully, brother.' Dante kept his composure despite wanting to yell and search manically for the source of the voice.

'I must be going mad! You are dead, Vergil! I killed you! I still have your fucking amulet to prove it!'

"That must be the youngest Malfoy," Rubeus commented as they watched the boy disappear amongst the passers by.

"Who are the Malfoys?"

"An old wizarding family. They were supporters of you know who."

"Supporters of who?" Rubeus looked uncomfortable as Dante asked the question. Dante tried to think back through the conversations he'd had which may have clues. Albus had said people were scared to say the name of the guy who had attacked Harry so that was probably who Rubeus meant. "Oh, old mouldy shorts."

"That's a good name," Rubeus laughed. "I might have to borrow it."

They watched people continue to pass them by in silence for a moment.

"The kids need wands next. Ollivanders is over there," Dante followed the direction Rubeus was pointing and picked out a dingy shop front with Ollivanders written above the door. "I need to go and get something."

"Ok, we'll see you there in a little while." Dante watched Rubeus walk away, wondering where the half giant was going. He looked back towards the wand shop again wondering what it'd be like inside. The American wizards Dante had spent time with tended to prefer to use wandless magic so he was unsure what the use of a stick of wood really was.

"Are you there, Verge?" Dante asked quietly, acutely aware of the people walking past and hoping none of them would notice the crazy demon hunter talking to himself.

'I feel like I'm trying to do a seance. What do those idiots always do in Patty's ghost hunting programmes?'

"Can you give me some kind of sign if you're here?"

Dante strained his ears to try and pick out his brother's voice but could only hear the conversations of nearby wizards and witches going on their shopping trips. He shifted against the wall and felt warmth against his chest. The package Rubeus had given him earlier felt warm as he reached into his coat and pulled it out.

"Is that you, big brother?" Dante whispered as he tugged the wrapping apart slightly to see a large red gemstone. He quickly re wrapped it and put it back in his pocket as he heard Patty's voice coming from the shop entrance.

"Dante," Patty said excitedly as she spotted him. "Where's Hagrid?"

"He said he needed to do something and would join us after you guys get your wands. Have you got your uniforms?" Harry and Patty offered two bags to Dante in response.

"Where do we get wands?" Harry asked, looking around the street as Dante tried to balance the new bags with the collection he had already gathered.

"Ollivanders was where Rubeus suggested. Follow me."

* * *

The bell tinkled over the entrance as Dante pushed open the door. Harry and Patty eagerly followed him into the slightly dingy interior.

"Hello," an elderly looking man said as he approached his customers. "I assume you are in need of wands."

"I think that's a fairly safe assumption," Dante replied with a smile.

"It certainly is, Mr Sparda, although I think I would struggle to find a wand suitable for you." The smile vanished from Dante's face as he regarded the man stood behind the counter. "I did wonder when I would be seeing you two. I remember both your parents coming in for their first wands. Now let me see." The man hurried to pull a few boxes from the stacks lining the walls as he ignored Dante's change in mood.

"What did he call you?" Patty asked Dante.

"It's my surname," Dante lied as he wondered how this man had known who he was. Patty and Harry had a level of celebrity so it was not unlikely he would be able to recognise them, but Dante certainly didn't have any fame in this community.

"I spoke to Professor Dumbledore recently in regards to obtaining ingredients and he mentioned he was hiring you. I would find it very interesting to study the properties of certain demonic ingredients for wands. I have only had the fortune to use demon scales so far."

'Of course Albus would assume that was my surname. I used it to set up my bank account that he's paying my fee into. I wonder if he realised? Probably not if he's mentioned my name to other people. I hope he hasn't spread it around very much, I'd rather not have someone start questioning me about dear old dad.'

Ollivander brought the boxes to the desk and started opening them. "Now Mr Potter please try this one, and Miss Lowell this one."

Patty took the offered wand and Dante felt the charge in the air. It was as if a storm was approaching and the static was building to prepare. Dante was reminded of Lady's description of his devil trigger when she had been standing next to him in a fight.

'It felt like the air was pulled away from me and all my hair stood up on end. Then the world seemed to explode with energy and all I could see was red!'

Harry however had no such luck with his wand. It seemed completely unresponsive, however many times he flicked it at Ollivander's encouragement.

"Let's try another one," Ollivander suggested and exchanged Harry's wand. This one was just as useless and the wand maker tutted in annoyance.

"I wonder." Ollivander hurried towards some shelves further back and pulled out a new wand which he offered to Harry.

Dante felt the air leave his lungs as Harry gripped the piece of wood. It felt different from Patty's wand, but it still held strength which Dante failed to understand the source of.

"Curious … very curious…" Ollivander was saying as he looked towards Harry.

"Sorry, but what's curious?" Harry asked as he continued to hold the wand. Dante thought the boy looked almost scared to put it down.

"I remember every single wand I've ever sold, Mr Potter. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather - just one. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave you that scar."

A knock on the window drew everyone's attention towards Rubeus who stood outside with a snowy owl in a cage.

"Harry, happy birthday!" Rubeus said loudly and indicated the owl.

"It's your birthday?" Patty asked and Harry nodded. "We have to get you a present! Dante, we need to get something for Harry!"

"Let's get the wands first, then we can think of something to do to celebrate," Dante suggested.

"I would be interested in having a conversation about demons if you get a chance whilst you are in London," Ollivander said to Dante as he began packing away the wands left on the desk.

"I'm sure we will have a chance."

* * *

Dinner was in the Leaky Cauldron, with a large birthday cake for Harry shared between them all. Dante had the largest piece and was called a pig by Patty, which made Harry and Rubeus laugh.

"Why does everyone know me?" Harry asked eventually as Dante cut himself a second slice of the cake.

"It's because Voldemort killed your parents and tried to kill you, but failed," Patty said quickly leaving Rubeus and Harry staring at her. Dante just continued eating cake, already familiar with Patty's ability to say things bluntly which would take a normal person hours to explain as they skirted around the subject.

Once Rubeus had recovered he explained the story to Harry. How his parents had been involved in the first wizarding war and were killed by he who must not be named. He went on to explain that Harry had been targeted too and the spell had backfired somehow, leaving Harry unharmed and you know who dead.

"This is a rubbish topic to discuss on your birthday," Dante said as Rubeus's explanation ended. "We need to find something fun to do. What is there to do around here?"

"I usually play cards and have a drink in the pub, but that's probably not a great idea with the young'uns." Rubeus told the group as he tried to think of the available options.

"Well, we are in London. Why don't we go and see what the muggles have to offer?" Dante told the group with a smile.

* * *

The group ended up at a cinema watching a film about Robin Hood. Rubeus was amazed at how the figures on the screen moved without magic involved and Dante had to tell him to shut up so they wouldn't get thrown out.

It had been lucky Dante's credit card worked in the UK when he bought the tickets as he hadn't realised Rubeus would have no muggle money. He bought them popcorn as well as, in Lady's words, 'you can't have a proper cinema trip without popcorn'. The last time he'd been to the cinema was with Lady and they had been asked to leave after having a fight using the popcorn. A large amount of it had filled their pockets and Lady's top so leaving the cinema had been an interesting experience.

'These guys need some training in using weapons,' Dante thought before struggling not to laugh as he realised how much the Sheriff of Nottingham looked like Severus. 'I'll have to remember to ask him about his acting career.'

"I think this has been my best birthday ever," Harry told the group with a smile as they walked along the Thames.

"I'm glad you've enjoyed yourself," Dante said happily as he looked across the river. There were lights reflecting off the water making it look almost like the night sky. The group paused to watch a boat pass by and Dante leaned on the barrier between them and the river.

"We met another new student today," Patty told them as she continued following the boat with her eyes.

"He was complaining about people who weren't from wizarding families," Harry said quietly.

"Ah that was the youngest Malfoy. Me and Dante saw him leave Madam Malkin's whilst you were getting your robes. His family supported you know who and I would avoid them if you can. They believe magic should only be taught to those from the main wizarding families."

"I guess there's some form of segregation in any society," Dante muttered as he continued to stare across the river.

"You and me probably know more about that than these youngsters need to hear about, Dante." Rubeus's sad smile didn't go unnoticed by the children but Dante didn't turn his head to see it. "We should get back to the inn and sleep for the evening." Dante's blue grey eyes broke contact with the boat as it disappeared beyond the next bridge and he turned his head towards the others.

* * *

Dante grabbed his bag out of the room which had been designated as the kids' room. Rubeus and Dante were to share the room across the hall after Patty insisted she wanted to share with Harry. Everyone except Dante was happy with this arrangement as he was sure Rubeus was going to use the opportunity to ask him awkward questions.

The door shut behind him as he dropped his bag onto the nearest bed. Rubeus had already stripped off his coat and dropped it on the bed closer to the bathroom where Dante could currently hear water running. He assumed Rubeus might be taking a shower before bed, which Dante dimly thought might be a good idea for himself as well. It had been a very long day and the thought of relieving the stresses of the trip with a soak in hot water was very appealing. However sleep was more tempting than trying to stay awake until Rubeus was finished.

The red leather was folded carefully as Dante placed his coat onto the chair by the desk. His boots were stripped off with his socks that Dante dimly thought he should try and get replaced soon as the heel was wearing through on the left one. Padding barefoot back to the bed Dante grabbed his bag and searched for the pyjama bottoms he remembered packing encase he had to share a room. Sleeping in leather trousers was uncomfortable and underwear with the tightness of those trousers was a no, the visible lines just ruined the whole look. Hoping Rubeus wouldn't choose that moment to leave the bathroom Dante swiftly kicked off the leather and pulled on his sleeping attire. The trousers and shirt were chucked towards the desk and landed in a mess on its surface.

As he pulled down the sheets Dante glanced towards the mirror he had seen when he and Patty had inspected the rooms earlier. It was full length and the angle allowed it to reflect Dante and the two beds.

'We used to share a room like this,' Dante thought as he stared into the reflection. 'I would sneak into Verge's bed and curl up next to him. He always made the nightmares go away.'

"I miss you, Verge," he whispered, scared someone would hear him. The water was still running in the bathroom so he doubted he had been caught, but talking to his dead brother wasn't something Dante wanted to be doing with the possibility of someone interrupting. It wasn't even something he wanted to admit to himself he was doing!

Annoyed at either himself for trying or his brother for not replying Dante tugged the sheets roughly and got into bed. He purposefully turned his back on the mirror and shut his eyes to try and force himself into a deep sleep.

* * *

"How long have you known about magic?" Harry asked as he leaned back in bed. Patty was curled up in the second bed across the room staring at the ceiling.

"Dante had mentioned magic before and I've known about demons all my life. I only heard about wizards last month though. My mom only ever spoke about alchemy and demon related magic that my family did, so I had never considered any other type." Patty lifted her hand up to look at it. "To think we both existed with this power we didn't even know was possible."

"I know. It's scary. I'm still not sure if any of this is real or if I've gone mad."

"If you've gone mad then we are sharing this hallucination," Patty replied with a small laugh as she turned her head to face Harry. The two were quiet for a moment as they both contemplated their first day in the wizarding world.

"Who is Dante?" Harry broke the silence. He had been wanting to know more about the devil hunter since discovering Dante wasn't a wizard. There must be some reason a muggle was being employed as a security measure at a magical school. Patty seemed to freeze at the question making Harry wonder what she was hiding.

"Like we said earlier he does odd jobs, but he really is very good at fighting demons. I think he's done a lot of jobs for wizards in the past who have summoned demons and can't control them. Dumbledore said something about wizards having known weaknesses and he wanted someone who didn't share them. I guess he might also be worried that Voldemort's followers could summon demons to attack you."

"I hope I'm good enough at magic to make up for what everyone is doing to help me."

"Even if you can't pull a rabbit out of a hat we will still be friends," Patty told him with a smile. "And it'll stop Dante starving this year."

Harry smiled back at Patty when she called him her friend.

"I don't think I've ever had a real friend before."

"In that case I will have to teach you," Patty told him, looking serious for a moment. "Hold out your hand like this." Patty's hand reached out into the space between the beds and she stuck out her little finger.

"Ok," Harry copied her movement and Patty linked their little fingers.

"Now we swear we will always be friends," Patty grinned. "I swear I will always be your friend and we will look after each other at our new school."

"I swear we will always be friends and look after each other," Harry replied and allowed Patty to tug his finger at the end of his sentence.

"You're not allowed to go back on that. Pinky swears are very serious." Patty tried to keep her face straight but quickly started laughing.

"So what happens if I break it?" Harry asked as he chuckled.

"I'm not sure, it depends on how badly you mess up. At the very least all your hair will fall out and you'd have to cut off your finger."

"That would be awful, so I guess we'll have to stay as friends."

They shared a smile before Patty yawned.

"Good night, Patty."

"Good night, Harry."

* * *

Well that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed it and please let me know what you thought. Either Dante is going mad or Vergil isn't dead...or both possibly, and Dante's new coworkers don't trust him, but Harry has appeared now so it isn't all doom and gloom.

By the way the film mentioned is Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, released on 19 July 1991 in the UK and Alan Rickman was the sheriff. I couldn't resist putting this in as soon as I realised.

07/01/2016


	4. Chapter 3

First of all thank you very much for all the reviews, follows and favourites for this story.

You are getting this earlier than I had planned to post it due to a random pub quiz setter.

The story behind this is that when I am available on Tuesday evenings I join a group at one of my local pub quizzes. We are not great and usually one of the few international groups, which can make us spend time trying to work out what the question means. Today we were a team of seven, but there were only four of us there at the start; two Italians and two British. We were sat next to the heater and one of the Italians made a joke about it being as hot as hell, which I responded with something about which circle would that put us in. He started laughing and said we should make our team name something about Dante's Inferno. This was dropped fairly swiftly as an idea and our other three members turned up. Eventually we got to the final round which is ten questions; first five on a topic chosen by the group which came second last the previous week and second five on a random topic picked out of a hat.

'This week the selected topic is 14th century Italian poetry and the random topic is Arsenal.' There was a scream from our table followed by the other British person turning to me.

'If there is a question on Dante's Inferno now you better get it right.'

Question four was: 'In Dante's Inferno which poet did he meet in hell?' I snatched the paper and wrote Virgil. Sadly that didn't win us the quiz but we were in the top half of scorers.

So I don't think there are any new warnings required and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

* * *

The week seemed to pass by in a blur for the two new wizards. They were allowed to wander Diagon Alley together and discovered the joys of wizard sweets. Harry had learnt how to care for his new owl, named Hedwig, after him and Patty had spent nearly an hour in one of the pet shops. Patty had looked at the variety of different wizarding pets on offer and decided she didn't need one.

"Cleaning up after Dante is bad enough, I don't need another animal to look after."

Two days later they had been back to the pet store and left with a white cat after Dante had agreed that Patty didn't need a pet. The cat seemed rather fond of Dante, after an initial hissing fit, and the demon hunter didn't seem particularly bothered by his new lap warmer.

"What are you going to call her?" Dante asked the kids as he stroked the cat behind the ears.

"Nevan," Patty told him which resulted in Dante's laughter. "It's a nice name and I remember you saying it meant something about pure so it suits a white cat."

"I suppose it does suit her," Dante lifted the sleepy cat to look in its face. The cat meowed at him in complaint at being disturbed and batted the devil hunter's face with a paw. "Yeah, the name suits you."

Pet ownership was not the only new responsibility Patty had taken on as the children quickly discovered themselves to be fairly popular celebrities amongst the wizarding population. This position was quite daunting for Harry, and Patty had appointed herself his guardian whenever they were without Rubeus or Dante to step in. Harry was glad Patty was so eager to defend him from the general public and thanked whatever entity had been responsible for giving him such a great birthday gift this year.

Dante's week had felt a lot longer for several reasons.

The main two were other people and the lack of jobs. Without the adrenaline rush from fighting and his current lack of socially acceptable methods of releasing energy, he was feeling the restlessness he had come to associate with his demonic side. This made it difficult to deal with his interrogators and the absence of a voice he found himself straining his ears to hear.

Rubeus was intent on asking him questions about demons whenever they were alone together, which had limited his sleep to only a few hours a night, not that his demon would allow him a good night sleep in his current state anyway. He had taken to drinking in the pub until closing time to avoid the questions, which he was sure the half giant had realised by the second night, but had to keep his alcohol consumption low to avoid the potential disaster that a drunk half demon could cause. On the third night Rubeus had joined him in the bar and asked him questions there instead.

Ollivander was interested in learning about the potential demonic guts he could use in wand making. Dante had felt a little apprehensive after Ollivander started speaking about the possibility of transferring a demon's heart into a wand. The old man had no idea what Dante was, and for that he was very glad or he might have ended up as ingredients.

Luckily, or unluckily depending on Dante's current mood, his late twin had seemed to have rejoined the realm of the dead and failed to make contact again. Dante was unsure if he was pleased by this, but life was definitely easier without Vergil's random input. It was only when lying in bed, listening to Rubeus snoring, that Dante had dared to admit to himself that he wanted his brother back and had to stop himself from calling out in the hope of an answer.

Florean was a welcome break during the week. He had been studying the involvement of demons in the Salem witch trials and was eager to share his discoveries with Dante. This was not a topic Dante was keen on discussing, but the ice cream was good enough to stay and Dante actually found Florean's lack of judgement towards the demons quite refreshing. Ollivander, and Rubeus to some extent, viewed demons as evil with very few exceptions … well Rubeus saw them as predators on the human race without mercy and a large slice of sadism. Florean however seemed to view them on the same level as humans, capable of making moral choices and no more scary than wizards. On most days Dante would consider Florean an idiot and tell him he should never trust a demon, but after listening to two other people insult his father's kind it was nice to speak with someone who didn't share that opinion.

It was the third day that Florean really came to Dante's rescue though, and potentially saved several thousand galleons worth of property damage.

"You seem distracted," Florean had commented as Dante sat in what had become his usual seat in the ice cream parlour. Dante had barely touched his strawberry sundae since Florean had brought it to him ten minutes ago.

"Sorry. I'm used to a very different lifestyle and this new one isn't working out very well," Dante smiled slightly as he made a move to eat his ice cream.

"I imagine devil hunting is a rather active pursuit," Florean told him as he sat down opposite Dante. "But looking after the children really isn't."

"Got it in one." Dante licked his spoon clean as Florean looked thoughtfully at him.

"A few of the local shop keepers have a morning run before we start trading. It's probably not as energetic as your job, but it's better than nothing." Florean shrugged as he watched Dante take another spoonful.

"It could be fun," Dante agreed after he swallowed his mouthful.

"We meet outside Gringotts at 5am."

* * *

The night before had been spent in the pub with Rubeus, but Dante had been careful with his drinks and had no trouble being in Diagon Alley earlier than necessary to meet his fellow runners. It was quite clear he wasn't the only early riser this morning as he recognised a few of the shopkeepers he'd spoken to over the last few days meandering towards Gringotts in a range of muggle running clothes. Dante guessed the route must take them outside of the wizard only territory, so muggle dress was essential.

"Morning," greeted a couple of wizards as Dante approached them.

"Florean mentioned you may be joining us," a young witch said with a smile as she did various stretches in preparation. "Do you usually run at home?"

"No, but I'm lacking my usual exercise so thought I would try it." Dante noticed several other wizards and witches approach the group.

"Fair enough, but don't try to push yourself too much. We've had quite a few beginners in the past who make the mistake of trying to keep up with the best runners and don't pace themselves."

"Ah, Dante. You made it," Florean said happily as he hurried over.

"I thought it was worth a try."

The run itself was fairly uneventful. Dante easily kept up with Florean and it was a flat route around the local area, which didn't provide a challenge for someone fairly used to jumping over obstacles and avoiding demonic claws in their regular work out. Florean was breathing heavily after the first five minutes, but didn't show any indication that he wanted to slow the pace. The girl, Dante had learned her name was Rosa, ran with them for the first twenty minutes before dropping behind when she announced she'd head back and see the group tomorrow.

What was eventful, at least in Dante's opinion, was the slight lull he felt in his mind. The run had subdued his urges enough to let him have a clear head for the first time since arriving in London. There was no desire to scream and attack. No desire to rip things and people apart. It was blissful.

"You look happier," Florean told Dante as they returned to Diagon Alley.

"I feel better," Dante replied as he watched the other runners returning to their shops.

"You also look like you were holding back."

"I'm used to more varied exercise," Dante said carefully.

"I have some maps of the local area which you could borrow to find a more challenging running route." Florean pushed open his shop door as he spoke, indicating for Dante to follow him.

"That would be really helpful," Dante replied as he could feel the calm start to give way to his anxiety again.

"I know they're around here somewhere. Accio London map." Florean had pulled his wand out from a mystery pocket in his running attire and three maps sailed across the room to land on a nearby table. "Here you are. This one is probably the best. It shows all the local cycle and walking paths. You can run on any of them." Florean opened the map to show Dante the local area.

"Thanks. Can I take this?"

"Of course. Go out and explore, I'm sure the children will be fine until you get back. They are probably still fast asleep." Florean smiled as Dante folded up the map. His questions for the demon hunter could wait until later, the daily London traffic would appear soon and force Dante to return to Diagon Alley.

* * *

The runs continued, but Dante would stay out after the main group returned, preventing much socialising to occur between himself and the other runners. They were a friendly group who would happily chat before they started, and all were willing to make polite conversation when Dante was wandering around the shops during the day. Rosa had even given him a free tea when he had entered her shop on the fifth day. The daily trips to the ice cream parlour also continued and Dante felt himself relax, despite the focus of these trips being on Florean's research into demons. As Florean's study progressed more throughout the week he began to have more questions, which reached the inevitable conclusion on the final day.

"Did you know there was a demon who sacrificed his own power to cut the demon's off from the human world?" Florean said excitedly as he brought a large book over to Dante's table.

"I've heard about him, but the idea of a demon sacrificing himself for all of humankind seems unlikely." Dante ate a mouthful of ice cream. 'I'm sure dear old dad had an ulterior motive. I think it's a little naive to believe he did it out of kindness.' "They make nice bedtime stories, but I haven't met a demon yet who would consider doing that without some type of personal gain."

"I don't think you'd find any humans willing to do that either," Florean said with a smile and sat down opposite Dante. He flipped a few pages of the book to find what he was looking for. "Here he is, Sparda the Dark Knight. It suggests he had children, so maybe he did it for a woman."

'You are far too perceptive, Florean.'

"Twin sons named Dante and Vergil."

'Shit, he knows. I guess it was inevitable after I answered so many of his questions.' Dante looked at the book to try and tell how much information it contained on his and Vergil's past. Florean pushed it towards him as he noticed the increase in interest and smiled.

"Do you think it's possible for a demon and a human to have children?" Florean asked as he watched Dante continue to read the chapter on Sparda's children. It wasn't a long section but Florean had found himself thinking of the hunter whilst devouring the information. The fact that one of the children was called Dante probably had something to do with it, but after meeting Ollivander last night and hearing him refer to Dante as Mr Sparda, he had become determined to find out the origin of his new friend's name. Thinking over Dante's stories of past jobs it didn't seem very far fetched for Dante to be one of Sparda's sons. The responses to many of the questions during the week had made it seem as if Dante did far more than just kill demons for a living, he lived and breathed demonic life. Dante had definitely lived with a demon at some point, or was even partially demonic himself. His running abilities certainly indicated a high level of fitness too, which could be explained by not entirely human origins.

Of course it was possible Dante had changed his name at some point and chosen one which had meaning for those within his profession. A much less interesting explanation, but Dante would have mentioned Sparda before when Florean had been asking him about famous demons, wouldn't he?

"Considering the existence of succubi and incubi I am sure it is possible. I'm not sure what the children would be like though. These half demons sound powerful and I don't think I would want to take on a job to get rid of them." 'I would never accept a job to get rid of Verge for money. I'd kick his ass for free!'

"Have you met any half demons?" Florean was clearly fishing now. He was avoiding asking directly, but there was no doubt between them of what the real question was as Florean pointed to the name 'Dante' in the book.

'Is this you, Dante?'

"Yes."

"Do you want another ice cream, Dante son of Sparda?"

"That would be great."

Dante had been pleasantly surprised at Florean's lack of questions after that. The man had seemed happy just to know who Dante was and he had shown Dante a few more books on demons, asking which were worth reading. Dante had been happy to have a quick look through them to see which were accurate before informing Florean of his findings.

The goodbye before Dante had headed back out to find Harry and Patty involved a brief hug and a promise to drop in again whenever Dante returned to Diagon Alley. Florean whispered that he wouldn't tell anyone about Dante's parentage, without Dante's permission, but he was very glad to know such an impressive individual. Although he hadn't known him for long Dante felt certain that Florean would be able to keep his secret.

* * *

The final morning found the group sat eating breakfast together. Hedwig cooed as Harry fed her the mice Tom had provided him with, whilst eating his plate of scrambled eggs on toast. Dante was sneaking scraps to Nevan in the most unsubtle way possible, with Patty glaring at him. She was sure Dante was bribing her cat so she would like him more, and the worst part of it was that he was succeeding. Nevan had snuck into Dante's lap every chance she got and had tried repeatedly to go into his room rather than Patty's. The only good part, in Patty's view, was that whenever Dante tried to remove Nevan from her position she sank in her claws in a desperate bid to remain attached and had successfully made Dante yelp in pain twice when he tried to lift her off his lap.

"When do we have to leave?" Harry asked Rubeus.

"In an hour, but you'll be heading to Hogwarts soon so don't worry."

"Why can't Harry just come to Hogwarts with us now?" Patty complained. She didn't see why her new best friend had to go back to living under the stairs in his stupid uncle's house.

"It's only three weeks," Harry pointed out. "Then I'll be in Hogwarts with you." Patty looked unconvinced and glared at Dante again as he didn't join in the conversation, instead stroking Nevan behind the ears as she purred happily.

"He should just come with us, shouldn't he Dante?" Patty kicked Dante under the table to force him to pay attention.

"I don't think ignoring my new boss's instructions in my first week is a great idea," Dante told her. "Sorry, Harry, we'll try and sort out something for next year though."

"Don't worry, I've been there for the past eleven years. I'm sure another three weeks will be fine."

"Have you packed?" Rubeus asked as he finished his plateful of food.

"Yeah. I just need to put Hedwig in her cage and I'll be ready to leave."

* * *

The floo network was a brilliant invention in Dante's opinion and they appeared in Albus's office seconds after leaving London. Albus didn't seem to be in his office and Dante wondered where the old man had wandered off to, he'd known what time to expect them.

"Where's Professor Dumbledore?" Patty asked as she coughed to clear her throat.

"I'm not sure," Dante replied as he started looking around the office. He had been in there once before to sign his contract, and remembered the packet of sherbet lemons Albus had hidden in his desk. Thinking the idiot deserved to lose one or two for leaving him alone in the office Dante pulled open the drawer and took a sweet.

"Dante, stop that," Patty hissed as she clutched Nevan to her chest, in response the cat wriggled in an attempt to escape.

"Do you want one?" Dante asked as he ignored Patty's scolding.

"Ah, I see you are helping yourself to my sherbet lemons," Albus's voice called from the balcony overlooking his desk.

"Don't leave temptation near demons. We aren't known for our ability to resist," Dante told him as he sucked on the sweet.

"I must remember that for the future. You can have one if you would like to, Patty." Albus commented as he descended the spiral staircase to the lower level.

"No, thank you."

"What a beautiful cat," Albus commented as he reached the bottom of the staircase and stretched out his hand to stroke Nevan.

"She's called Nevan," Patty informed him with a smile as she held out the cat for Albus to inspect. Nevan purred at the attention and rubbed her head on Albus's hand.

"I hope she lives up to her name." Standing up straight and looking back towards Dante, who was now leaning against his desk, Albus smiled and wondered whether Dante would prove more trouble than he was worth. Hiring a half demon was risky due to the potential problems it could cause with not only the parents and school board, but the ministry could become involved as well if they determined Dante to be a danger. The American Congress had been positive, and deemed Dante to be trustworthy enough to be recommended for the removal of demons. However if the ministry got involved Albus was unsure whether the congress would be willing to stand up for Dante, or count it as a lost cause and ignore any requests for character references.

"Your rooms are ready, would you like me to show you to them?" Albus asked, deciding he would have to contact Ollivander and Tom to see how Dante had acted in Diagon Alley.

"Lead on," Dante replied and pushed himself upright before grabbing his and Patty's luggage.

* * *

The rooms were nice and Dante found himself stunned by the effort Albus appeared to have gone to in order to make him comfortable. A large room with two sofas, a dining table with four chairs and their boxes from Devil May Cry greeted them. Three doors led away which were all propped open and Dante could see a bathroom, kitchen and bedroom. Dante wondered who had set up the rooms for him and if Albus had chosen the furnishings based on what he had seen in his visits to his shop.

"I hope you like it," Albus said as he watched Dante and Patty step further into the room to look around.

"It's great," Dante replied as he peered into the kitchen. It appeared fully stocked with everything he would need to cook up meals for himself and Patty, but he expected most meals would be provided.

"If you need anything just ask the house elves and they will get it for you. Lunch will be served in the Great Hall for those of us who are here in two hours, so please unpack and join us there."

"Thanks," Dante told him with a smile as Patty continued looking through the rooms.

"What's the bedroom like?" Dante asked as he began pulling open the luggage. A box of records was the first thing he unpacked and hoped he might be able to get a record player from somewhere. His record player had been left in the shop for the girls to use, but he wasn't going to leave his collection somewhere those two could get hold of. A loud crack sounded from the centre of the room and Dante spun round with his guns already in his hands.

"Can Flora help you to unpack, sir?" a voice squeaked from somewhere below the demon hunter's gaze.

"Who are you?" Dante slid his guns back into their holsters under his coat as he stared at the small creature in front of him. It seemed to be wearing some kind of tabard over a thin form with large ears, eyes and nose.

"I am Flora, one of the house elves who was told to help you and the young mistress with anything you need, sir." Flora smiled up at Dante as she finished speaking and Dante felt himself smile back.

"An extra pair of hands would be great." Dante paused as he glanced back at his records. "Is it possible for me to get a record player?"

"Anything you want. Flora will try and get it, sir." Flora puffed out her chest in a way Dante guessed was similar to humans when they were proud of themselves. It didn't really work with such a small frame but Dante expected the house elves usually didn't deal with people of his build. Wizards tended to be thin and scrawny in Dante's limited experience, which would probably give a similar impression to that of Flora's display when compared to Dante.

"Thanks Flora. Is there anything I can do in return?"

"It is Flora's job, sir. Flora was told to do anything Flora could to help you and the young mistress. It is a house elf's responsibility to follow their master's orders, whatever those orders are."

"Your master ordered you to help me and Patty?" Dante asked as he bent down to face Flora.

'This sounds like imprisonment. This is what people try to do to demons when they summon them. It's slavery.'

"Our master asked which of us would be willing to take care of you and the young mistress. Flora volunteered," Flora smiled again. "Many of the others were scared when we were told you aren't entirely human, but the master wouldn't let you stay here if you were dangerous so Flora is not scared."

"Thank you, Flora. It is very nice to know that you aren't scared of me."

"Flora will find a record player for you!" Flora vanished with a loud crack and Dante was glad he managed to stop himself from jumping in shock.

"Do you think there are lots of new creatures to get used to?" Patty asked from the doorway to the bedroom.

"Probably," Dante straightened himself up to look round at her. "Flora seems friendly and I expect anything you find in the castle will be fine. Remember, I'm probably the scariest thing here and you put up with me."

"But it's all so new," Patty allowed herself to be pulled into a hug and melted into Dante's arms. "There's so much to learn and it feels like we're in another world."

"You won't be the only one who's never seen magic before. Harry will be here soon and you'll have to tell him about everything we discover. I'm sure I'll manage to mess up really badly and you can laugh at me."

"You always screw up," Patty mumbled into his chest as she felt her tension disappearing. "I didn't tell Harry what you are. He asked if you were just a muggle and I wanted to tell him what you are, but I know you wanted to keep it a secret."

"Thank you. We'll keep it quiet for now but I promise we can tell him at some point."

"Really?" Patty looked up and met Dante's eyes.

"I promise." There was no teasing in his voice or expression and Patty felt herself smile.

"Thank you...why are you wearing a collar?"

"This is the charm I've been given to stop the wards trying to kill me." Patty reached up and ran her fingers across the leather band.

"It makes you look like a pet," she told him with a laugh. "You need a bell on it and you'd match Nevan." Her fingers brushed the buckle before pulling away, the idea of Dante being owned by someone reminded her of those demons trapped back in the vault and that wasn't a train of thought she felt ready to pursue.

"If it means I can have you do everything to look after me and keep me entertained, I'll put up with being your pet." Dante to the rescue, as always, with his awful sense of humour.

"That isn't going to happen. You need to work and look after me! You promised my mom you would." Patty returned her fingers to the metal buckle on Dante's new collar as she looked up at him. "The collar looks good on you. It matches your coat."

"Let's unpack as much as we can before lunch," Dante suggested as he glanced into the bedroom to spot Nevan curled up in the suitcase which was open on the bed.

"What is it with cats and boxes?"

* * *

Albus stepped back into his office after leaving Dante and Patty to unpack. He was still unsure whether hiring Dante had been a good idea, but it was done now and having the half demon as an ally was definitely preferable to having him as an enemy. Hopefully Dante was going to be helpful and loyal, at the very least he hoped Dante would perform the job he was being paid to do without destroying anything. He would enquire about the stone Rubeus had given to Dante later, it was possibly in Dante's luggage and Albus did not want to answer any potential questions about it in front of Patty. If Dante seemed loyal, handing over the stone without problem and having Severus deem him trustworthy using legilimens, Albus would need him to aid in guarding the stone like many of the teachers had already agreed to do.

Fawkes squawked as Albus sat down at his desk where the drawer containing his sherbet lemons was still open. Dante would need to be informed of his boundaries it seemed. As he was about to push the drawer closed Albus noticed the package which had been placed inside on top of the sweet container.

'Maybe that half demon is going to be more useful than I thought.'

* * *

Flora reappeared to show Dante and Patty to the Great Hall for lunch. She had been very apologetic for not finding a record player yet, but claimed two of the other elves had been sent out to purchase one. Dante had told her not to worry and he was very thankful for everything the house elves were trying to do for him.

"Here is the Great Hall," Flora told them loudly as she stopped in front of the open doors. "Flora hopes you enjoy your meal. Do you want Flora to continue unpacking?"

"Don't worry about it. We'll unpack everything else later," Dante told the excitable elf as Patty peered around Dante's form into the hall.

Lunch was impressive Patty thought as she saw the table of food. Various people were sat around, some of which she recognised and others she assumed were teachers at the school. There seemed to be sandwiches, salad, pasta and pizza spread across the table and people were helping themselves to fill their plates. Some of the people had paused and were looking towards them in interest, probably wondering who the strange man in red and small girl were. Minerva and Severus were sat with the group already and seemed to be telling the other members of staff who the two new people were.

"Ah, Dante and Patty, it is good you could join us. Thank you for bringing them, Flora." Albus's voice cut through the group and Dante turned to smile at the approaching headmaster.

"Of course, master. Flora will return to help you later." The house elf vanished with a loud crack leaving Dante and Patty stood in the doorway.

"Allow me to introduce you both." At Albus's arrival the teachers already gathered had stopped their chatter and focused on the entrance. "Some of you may already have heard about our need for increased security this year due to Harry Potter joining our school. To provide this cover I felt it important to hire a new head of security and in an effort to make us prepared for every eventuality I decided to hire someone outside of the main wizarding community. This is Dante, a demon hunter, from America who has been approved by the American Congress. There is also a new student, who will be joining our first years, called Patty Lowell, who you may have read about in the paper recently. I'm sure you will all be making them feel welcome." Albus had moved from the entrance to the head of the table during his short speech whilst Patty and Dante moved towards the empty seats by Minerva and Severus.

"It's great to meet you both," a woman, who Dante thought looked like a gym teacher, said as she smiled at the two of them. "I'm Rolanda Hooch and I'm the flying instructor for the school. I would find it fascinating to try and get you on a broom some time. If you have any magical ability we might be able to get you off the ground."

Dante noticed that Severus had smirked very briefly when Rolanda started talking about getting him to fly. Minerva looked less amused with the idea and Dante wondered whether he should be concerned or try and talk to her about it. Lady had suggested trying to talk to Minerva alone and asking what exactly scared her, then trying to find ways to counter them. She had admitted that it was when Dante had shown human emotions that she had started trusting him, as her main fear, like Morrison's, had been his lack of humanity. This was probably what Minerva feared most as well and caring for Patty would be a way to show he wasn't the big, bad demon from her nightmares. She had also pointed out that honesty with everyone would be a good idea if he wanted their trust. That wasn't going to be entirely possible, with trying to keep his demonic nature a secret from the majority of the castle's inhabitants, but he could try and keep the lies to a minimum.

"It might be fun to try," Dante replied to Rolanda. He was intrigued to see if he could get anything to respond to him that was meant to only be used by wizards.

"Don't expect it to work. Broomsticks can be temperamental and choose who to respond to. They can be like wands, they choose their owner." Severus picked up a sandwich as he spoke. "I doubt any broomstick will be willing to respond to you."

"The school brooms are designed for beginners. They respond to almost everyone," Rolanda informed the group. "If you have any magical ability they should work. The skill lies in being able to control them."

"Sorry I'm late," Rubeus's voice boomed from the doorway and everyone looked up to greet the half giant. "I see you two got here ok."

"Your instructions were perfect. We were able to get here with no problems and have been unpacking this morning." Dante pulled several slices of pizza onto his plate.

"You're going to get fat if you keep eating pizza," Patty informed the devil hunter as she noticed his choice in food. She had succeeded in cutting down his pizza eating back at home, he was only allowed to order pizza once a week and cook it himself twice. Being in another country seemed to have put an end to that, and Patty expected Dante would very quickly switch to only eating pizza for every meal again.

"It hasn't happened yet." Dante picked the olives off his first slice before taking a bite. He was pleasantly surprised at how similar it was to the pizza he was used to eating from Freddi's diner.

"It's not fair that you can eat like a pig and stay in shape. Trish swears that you've been living off pizza for five years!"

"Pizza, beer and strawberry sundaes," Dante corrected. "She lives off take out, when she isn't raiding my fridge, so she isn't allowed to judge my choice in food."

"It was implied that stealing food from you was considered dangerous," Albus commented, remembering his breakfast at Devil May Cry.

"I'm sure you noticed that Lady and Trish would happily do most things just to," Dante caught himself before swearing, "just to annoy me." As he finished speaking Dante felt a slight headache forming and heard Severus choke on his sandwich. He patted Severus gently on the back, to try and help him breath again, and felt the headache disappear almost instantly.

'Interesting, are you trying to get into my head, Sevvy? I wonder what you're hoping to find out.'

The conversation turned to Dante's previous job and Patty's fame. Dante found this topic interesting as it showed how ignorant the wizarding community were about demons. He had expected them to be more knowledgeable than muggles, but was proven wrong very swiftly. Florean and Ollivander were exceptions who had researched demons but these teachers, who Dante had expected to be some of the most intelligent wizards alive, knew little more than fairy stories and camp fire tales.

"Demons are not immune to magic, they have a high resistance to it but are far from immune."

"Most demons have a weakness to at least one element, so summoning fire against an ice based demon would be highly effective in most circumstances."

"Demons are creatures of chaos and darkness, with a willingness to compromise almost anything to achieve their goals. However some demons do have good intentions and their aims do not harm humans in any way."

"Their basic nature is one valuing destruction and a demonstration of strength to decide who is their leader. Defeating a demon in battle could gain you the loyalty of that demon for the remainder of its existence."

"You could make a good defence against the dark arts teacher," one of the teachers commented from down the table as Dante finished explaining the truth behind another belief most of the group had shared. It wasn't surprising people were terrified of demons with the half truths and lies this group had believed. Dante wondered how Albus, Severus and Rubeus trusted him enough to let him inside the school with this type of bedtime story knowledge. Minerva was more sceptical of him and Dante expected it would be a difficult conversation when she eventually decided they should talk.

"I'm just a devil hunter," Dante told them with a laugh. "If I didn't know about demons I wouldn't be able to do my job."

"Sometimes the best teachers are those with experience outside these walls," Albus told them as he regarded Dante with a stare that appeared to be trying to reach his soul. Dante smiled back, familiar with Vergil's death glare which was far more threatening. "If everyone is happy I think we should allow the house elves to clear this away and return to our preparations for the students."

A group muttering of consent went around the table and people pushed their chairs backwards to stand up. Dante caught the edge of Severus's robe and tugged in a way he hoped the potions master understood as 'I want to talk to you'. Severus glanced up at Dante's face and a fleeting glimpse of fear appeared in his eyes before the mask slid in place.

"Would you mind helping Patty and I to unpack a few things?" Dante asked.

"Of course. I'm sure Minerva and Rubeus would be willing to lend a hand as well."

'Calling for backup, am I really that scary?'

"That would be very helpful," Dante told them all with a smile.

"There's only a couple of boxes left and you told me and Flora that you would unpack them yourself," Patty informed the group as the other teachers finished leaving.

"I just have some questions for Severus. The unpacking can wait until after we get some answers." Dante wondered if anyone picked up on his use of 'we'. Severus had obviously had an aim in his mind reading attempt, unless digging through other people's minds was a hobby, and Dante was willing to answer some questions if they allowed his new co-workers to trust him more, as Lady had suggested. Trust worked both ways though, and if he had to play the scary half demon to protect his more private thoughts and feelings, it was a price he was willing to pay.

"Are you having any problems with the wards?" Minerva asked as the group left the dining hall.

"None at all. I haven't tested it though, so I might still find some problems." Dante allowed his hand to drift up to the collar around his neck. He was still acutely aware of it being there and wanted to pull it off due to the association of being someone's pet.

'We are not a dog! We should go and teach that old man that we are in charge!' His demonic side seemed to hiss in annoyance. Dante found his human side agreeing with the idea behind it, but the plan wasn't particularly productive beyond the initial attack to vent his frustration.

"Dumbledore really used a collar," Rubeus commented as he saw Dante touch the leather around his neck.

"I'm wondering if the old man was trying to make a point with his choice," Dante allowed a small amount of his annoyance to show in his voice and noticed Severus tense slightly.

'Good. I want you to be as uncomfortable as I am,' Dante thought as he spotted the involuntary reaction to his voice.

They were swiftly outside the rooms Dante had been assigned and he pushed open the door to allow the group in. Patty had obviously realised that Dante was unhappy about something Severus had done and she would be better off not getting involved, so disappeared into the kitchen area to make tea for everyone.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Dante asked as he heard the door shut behind Minerva. Severus had obviously not expected this particular choice of question and stood in silence for a few moments composing a response. Dante wanted to look at Minerva and Rubeus, to see their reactions, but keeping his gaze fixed on Severus was probably the best way to ensure he got an honest answer.

"No. Your mental barriers were too strong for me to break through."

"I don't like having people looking through my memories without my permission. What did you want to know?" Dante forced a smile.

'Time to try and be open and honest to build trust. This is going to be a tough mission but I've had years of practising the fake happiness.'

"I wanted to know your intentions and your abilities. You didn't react to the potion as I had expected and I assume that is because you are stronger than I thought. You claim to have agreed to work here so Patty can study here, but I wanted to know if that is true. If you are as strong as I suspect you are, we do not want to be unprepared for you to turn on us." Severus took a deep breath at the end of his speech and Dante was aware of Minerva holding her breath behind him. The use of we towards the end of the speech did not go unnoticed by several people in the room, but Dante wasn't one of them and everyone was waiting for his response so no comments were made.

Dante felt himself want to laugh and decided just to give in. He chuckled at the stupidity of it all. Of course Severus was concerned. The guy had a brain and was faced with someone of unknown strength belonging to a race that wasn't exactly known for being friendly. In his place Dante would probably do the same...or beat the potential enemy to a pulp to test their abilities.

"Sorry. I've been worried that I'm signing myself up for seven years of slavery and you guys are worried I'm going to snap the leash." Dante tugged on the collar for emphasis. "I can't stop you worrying, but I should point out that I have a very big weakness whilst I'm on the school grounds. I'm sure you guys can destroy this collar and we've all witnessed the results."

"You think we are going to treat you as a slave?!" Minerva asked, shock clear in her voice.

"I've considered it."

"You won't hurt him, will you?" Patty asked as she brought in a tray of tea. She put the tray down and hugged Dante, looking around the group accusingly.

"We have no intentions to do so. He is an employee here, the same as us," Minerva said hurriedly.

"Good," Patty replied and looked up at Dante. "You're all being stupid. None of you want to hurt each other, but you are all scared that the other person is going to try and hurt you first. Grown ups are idiots!" She glared at Dante accusingly.

"They're sensible. If they trusted me entirely I would call them idiots," Dante told Patty as he ruffled her curls. "We don't actually need any help unpacking, but you're welcome to stay and have some tea." The tension between the group hadn't disappeared, and Dante doubted Minerva or Severus trusted him not to commit mass murder like a demon from one of their childhood tales if given the opportunity. Rubeus had trusted Dante enough to be alone in a room without the protection of the collar so Dante was willing to label him an ally in this new existence, but he'd probably side with the teachers if forced to choose between them. Right now they were all willing to tolerate the presence of each other and at least fake friendship, Patty's presence probably helped assure them all Dante would be well behaved. 'I'm trusted to protect a child but they don't trust me not to eat them. Sometimes I understand why Vergil called them illogical creatures.'

"It would be rude not to accept after Patty made a pot for us," Minerva said as she sat herself down on the nearest sofa.

"I'll have a mug," Rubeus sat opposite Minerva and accepted the mug Patty handed to him. Severus looked less inclined to sit with the group and continued to look at Dante.

"You will need to blink soon, Severus," Dante informed him as the stare continued.

"How did you stop me from looking at your thoughts and memories? I couldn't get anywhere. It was as if I met a wall. Wizards have to focus to block me out or think about the memory they want me to see. I've never had someone block me out completely when they weren't trying."

"One day I might explain...but today is not that day." Dante smiled as he took the tea cup offered to him. "If you don't mind I'll finish unpacking."

* * *

The remaining boxes contained some of Dante's weapons, which were all aware that talking was not acceptable right now, and had been put in the bedroom. Nevan hummed slightly with electricity as she was pulled out and leaned against the wall. Dante pulled the small bits of packing foam away from her form and dropped them back into the box. He was aware of the chatting in the next room from the teachers and felt surprisingly calmed by their presence, despite their distrust of his motives.

'If they are willing to sit here and drink tea they can't be that scared of me. I don't think Severus was being malicious. He was genuinely concerned I had other intentions.'

A meow from behind Dante made him turn around and look at the feline.

"This is what you're named after," Dante told the cat quietly as he pointed at his guitar based devil arm. "I hope you're neutered. If you aren't we'll have kittens in weeks." He picked up the cat and brought her level with his face. "Or maybe you won't be like Nevan and will wait for marriage. Don't judge her, she is a succubus so has to seduce men to survive. Most of those men die with a very big smile on their faces." Dante smirked as he thought about some of the fun he'd had with Nevan in the past.

"Meow," the cat told Dante in response as she swiped her paw at his nose.

"Ok, I'll put you down."

The next weapons to get pulled out were Agni and Rudra, and Dante was concerned the brother swords would start talking. He was pleasantly surprised when they remained silent and wiped both blades to clear away the packing material. A loud crack from the living room made Dante frown as he remembered Flora promising to help him finish unpacking. Her voice cut through the air as she enquired where Dante was and the half-demon wondered what job he could give the excitable creature.

"Flora is here to help," Flora announced as she pushed open the door.

"You can have a tea with everyone in the other room if you want," Dante tried, even though he already knew Flora wasn't going to accept the option whilst she could be helping.

"Flora said that she would help Dante to unpack, not drink tea." Flora looked proud again and Dante smiled in response to her display.

"Ok, can you help me put up the mounts for my weapons?" Dante glanced at the four boxes next to him and tried to read what was scrawled on them. "The mounts are in one of these boxes. Don't touch the weapons, leave them for me to handle."

"Of course. Flora will not touch Dante's weapons. Where should Flora put the mounts?"

"Any free wall space is good. I have a lot of weapons to put up."

Flora rushed backwards and forwards to put the wall mounts up around the various rooms. She seemed happy in her work and the group sat drinking tea watched her bounce about. The mounts were fixed in place by whatever magic the young house elf was using before she would hurry back to the bedroom and ask Dante for another job.

"Are all of those for weapons?" Severus asked as a fifth mount was put in place.

"Weapons and armour," Patty replied as she sipped her mug of tea. "Dante left all his trophies at Devil May Cry, but he said he didn't want to leave his weapons where Lady and Trish could try and steal them."

"Those two would break them," Dante told the group as he walked in carrying what seemed to be a pair of gauntlets that glowed orange from some internal source. The spikes gave the impression that these gauntlets were for attacking, rather than defending the wearer. "Or be broken by them," Dante added as he put the gauntlets carefully onto one of the mounts where the light dimmed significantly.

"Trish said she won't touch any of your weapons that don't accept her. She said she'd stop Lady trying to use them as well." Patty leaned over the back of the sofa as she watched Dante bring in a sword to place on another mount, with a pair of twin guns.

"Are they dangerous?" Minerva asked, realising the question sounded rather stupid after she said it.

"Provided no one tries to take any of them out of this room they will be fine. They are aware they are in a school and need to behave, and I think most of them will."

"We will have to make sure your door is locked," Severus said as he stood to inspect the sword Dante had just put up. It was huge and Dante had carried it in one hand with ease, demonstrating his above human strength. It had the appearance of a broadsword with a notched tip and fairly plain design, intended to be functional rather than decorative, with only a skeletal pattern across the guard.

"You can pick that one up if you want," Dante told him as he re-entered the room to place a pair of twin blades onto another mount. Severus reached with both hands to lift the blade by the grip and barely made it budge. He tried a second time and managed to lift the blade out of the mount and rest the tip on the floor.

"It's heavy," Severus informed the group as he noticed Minerva struggling not to laugh at his difficulties.

"Did you expect it to be made of feathers, Severus?" Minerva replied as she chuckled. Rubeus stood up to join Severus in his inspection of the blade and helped support it.

"It isn't that heavy," Dante said as he came back. "Patty can drag her around, so you two should be able to lift Rebellion."

"You name your weapons?" asked Minerva as Rubeus lifted the sword out of Severus's grip and gave it a small swing.

"Any unique weapon has a name and the majority of the ones here have a personality to go along with it."

'He is right, isn't he, brother?' Dante heard echo in his head from Agni as he turned to fetch more of his weapons. At least the brother swords weren't speaking aloud, he wasn't sure how people would react to that, but did they have to talk at all?

'We all have our own personalities and uses, brother,' Rudra replied. Nevan hummed happily as he picked her up to mount next.

"That doesn't look like a weapon," Minerva commented as she saw what he was carrying.

"Looks can be deceiving," Dante replied with a grin. Nevan sparked in his hand and the electric strings crackled.

"Don't even think about it!" Patty told him sternly. "You are the worst musician ever! Whenever you play it makes all the local dogs howl!"

"It makes you get out of bed though," Dante laughed as he ran his fingers along the strings. He considered ignoring Patty's request and strumming a chord, but knew Nevan wouldn't cooperate in making it sound good. She was still upset about his earlier comments comparing her and the cat, so would happily make Dante sound like a tone deaf idiot. Admittedly he wasn't very good at playing music but Nevan, when in a good mood, could make him sound like a prodigy. When Patty had stayed with him during school weeks he had used Nevan to help him wake her up at the right time for lessons. This had been before her mom had reappeared and was a rare occurrence as the orphanage were not happy for her to stay out over night.

"It made me want to cut off my own ears!" Patty said angrily, putting her hands over her ears in defence.

"So it is a weapon," Severus commented, "but only in your inept hands." Dante smirked in response, spun Nevan round and flicked her to release the scythe.

"Nevan is a weapon and possibly one of my most devastating. She also has moods so I would advise not trying to play her." Nevan released a burst of energy to singe Dante's fingers in response to his accusation and Patty laughed. Dante glared at her before Nevan was placed carefully onto a stand after returning her to her guitar form.

"You deserved that," Patty informed him as she stopped laughing.

"You're definitely learning things from Lady. She's always telling me off for calling Nevan moody." Dante turned to watch Rubeus try and lift Rebellion again for an attempt at wielding her. "I think I need to give you some training."

* * *

"Do you trust them?" Patty asked as she curled up on Dante's lap. The group had remained in Dante's rooms until it was time for dinner, drinking tea and explaining various things they thought would be useful for Patty and Dante to know. Dinner had been in the Great hall again and Severus had asked the other teachers present if they would be interested in Dante's offer of some sword lessons. Plans had swiftly been made for a lesson the next morning by the group, whilst Patty chatted with a few other teachers to try and find something else to do the next day.

"I'm not sure," Dante replied, turning the page in the transfiguration textbook he had open for him and Patty to read.

"I wasn't finished with that page yet," Dante flicked back. "Professor McGonagall seemed scared of you, but Hagrid and Professor Snape like you."

"Liking me and me being able to trust them are not the same thing. I want to trust them but I think they would all try to kill me if I gave them a reason."

"Most people would kill another person if there was a reason," Patty pointed out before reaching out to turn the page.

"That's very logical, but I doubt they would need much pushing to believe I was a danger, and try and kill me." Dante looked down at Patty as her gaze followed the lines of text in the book. It was moments like this that made him happy he was Patty's father-figure and he hoped they would continue, at least for a while, as it was one of the few times his demon was silent. With Patty the desire to kill and destroy vanished into nothing, the world focusing down to just them.

"They can't kill you, can they?" Patty asked, turning her head up to look at him as the worry showed clearly in her eyes.

"I'll be fine. Remember you can't get rid of me, I'm the annoying idiot who follows you half way across the world." Dante ruffled her hair to try and reassure her. In reality he didn't know whether the wizards would be able to kill him or not, but there was no way he would share that with Patty. He'd survived trips to hell and back, he wasn't going to die easily, but the abilities of these wizards still weren't clear to him. "I think it's time for bed," Dante told Patty with a yawn.

"Ok," Patty agreed as she jumped off Dante's lap and dashed into the bedroom to get into her pyjamas. Dante wandered into the bathroom to brush his teeth and glanced at himself in the mirror above the sink.

'Well Verge, I'm here now and these people have slaves. How long do you think it will be before I'm reduced to the same status as the house elves?' Dante spit out his mouthful of toothpaste into the sink before glancing back at the mirror. Vergil's face stared back at him, the clearest view Dante had had of his brother yet.

'Dante, you need to-'

Vergil's statement was cut off as Patty ran into the bathroom to brush her teeth and the mirror reverted to showing Dante's reflection.

"Why are you staring at the mirror?" Patty asked, squirting toothpaste onto her toothbrush.

"I was wondering how I can be so handsome," Dante told her with a smile and ruffled her hair.

"Idiot," Patty muttered as she watched Dante leave.

'What do you need me to do, Verge?' Dante thought as he swiftly got changed for bed. Flora had proudly informed them that she had made up the small second bed for Patty to use until she was sorted into a house, but it seemed Nevan considered that to be her bed. The cat was curled up on the pillow, snoring softly. Dante hesitantly poked the feline to wake her but just received a yowl and claw swipe for his trouble.

"Dante?" Patty asked from the doorway.

"Yes?" Dante asked, giving up with trying to move Nevan.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Patty was staring at her pyjama top which she was twisting between her hands.

"Of course. Nevan doesn't seem willing to give up her bed anyway," Dante told her.

"Thanks."

* * *

Minerva is really hard to write! I'm struggling to pin down her character and I hope it doesn't show too much.

Anyway thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it and continue to do so. It'd be great to hear what you liked, didn't like etc and I'm happy to explain why I've done certain things which may seem strange or make adjustments to future chapters based on your feedback.

26/01/16


	5. Chapter 4

So first off happy hallmark holiday to you all. You can probably tell I'm not a huge fan of the holiday but each to their own. Having a weekend stuck in front of my computer waiting for emails/submitting conference papers meant I could get on with this story and I have checked carefully that I haven't accidentally uploaded the wrong files anywhere. I doubt that would go down well with anyone...unless you guys enjoy reading academic research papers.

Anyway Vergil makes his real first appearance in this chapter, which I know some people have been waiting for, and, as I said at the end of the last chapter, I've been struggling with Minerva's character so I hope she makes sense. There's also some more explanation about the wards and Dante explaining some of his abilities in an effort to build a bit more trust (he's really trying to follow Lady's advice to make life easier for Patty), but sorry to the reviewer wanting a bit more action, the teachers aren't really able to give Dante a fight yet so their sword lesson is just for beginners, you'll have to wait for the next chapter. For those asking how dark this will get, I honestly don't know right now. My notes on story development have a few options but I can promise it won't be happiness and sunshine with any route the story takes.

Thanks to everyone who reviews/favourites/follows this story. You are the reason I keep writing this and bothering to post it. Without you guys I'd still be hopping between different ideas and never getting more than a few pages written before seeing something else shiny and writing about that instead.

Warnings: Dante's advice in the sword lesson is based on the instructions I was given when LARPing, so I'd question how useful they'd actually be for fighting, but don't try this at home, kids, even with LARP weapons. There are good reasons you should have a training session with any new LARP weapon before using it in game, they really hurt when used wrong. A few references to sex, drinking to relax/avoid feelings (its not made clear in this chapter but the result is shown in the next chapter), if you squint there's an indication of wizard anti-depressant use and I think that's all the relevant ones for this chapter.

* * *

Minerva was unsure how she had volunteered herself for this. She stood in the school grounds holding a wooden sword, which had been charmed to soften whenever it made contact with a person.

Severus had been enthralled by the idea of learning to sword fight and Dante had been genuine with the offer of some lessons, which meant that the next morning found a group of teachers ready to beat each other up with sticks.

"I didn't expect so many of you to be interested," Dante admitted as he surveyed the group. "Thanks for enchanting the sticks, Minerva."

Minerva nodded as she wondered if she could escape without anyone noticing. She still wasn't comfortable with being near Dante, but he had a point about the collar and how he could be incapacitated so easily on school grounds.

"Ok, first thing is learning how to hold the sword so you can fight without hurting your wrist. Hold your dominant hand higher and close to the guard, then your other hand below it for support. This is used for heavier swords and is slower, but more powerful and provides more defence. Keep your arms bent and feet apart so you can absorb the force from the hits. Try and stay relaxed as it's far easier to defend effectively when you aren't tensed." Dante held his hands up so everyone could see the placement of his hands on the grip of his wooden sword. The group of teachers moved to copy his grip and get into a suitable stance.

Minerva saw Rubeus trying to hold his hands on the hilt as Dante inspected everyone's grips and made corrections. His hands were too big to hold the sword comfortably and Minerva decided she should extend the grip for him. She pulled out her wand and muttered a quick spell to sort out the problem, before returning to trying to get her own grip right.

"Thanks," Rubeus muttered as Dante was moving Severus's hands to a more suitable position.

"I guess you adjusted the sword," Dante said with a smile as he looked at Rubeus's grip. "Try to hold your thumb a little further down or you could break it with a strong hit. Other than that I think you're great."

Minerva felt herself tense up and her pulse race as she realised Dante was about to speak to her. She was the last in line and he might be about to touch her. Rubeus was next to her, chatting with Severus now about sword fighting and duels, and there were lots of other people here who could protect her if Dante tried to hurt her.

"Are you ok?" Dante asked quietly, Minerva realised that most of the group probably couldn't hear him over their own conversations. "I won't come any closer, if you don't want me to."

"It's ok. You can't check my grip from over there."

"Not very easily," he replied with a grin. "You need to relax more or it will hurt when you're sword collides with anything. Can I?" Dante moved his hands towards hers to indicate he wanted to adjust her hand position. Minerva swallowed her nerves before nodding slightly. "I'm not going to hurt you, Minerva. If you can't trust my intentions, then trust that I have some self preservation and am currently surrounded by wizards who would try to overpower me."

"I don't think you're stupid enough to try and hurt me here." Minerva thought her voice sounded weak and coughed to try and bring the strength back to her usually powerful vocals. "I still don't trust you not to have an ulterior motive though."

"That is very sensible. Hurtful, but sensible." Dante made eye contact with her and Minerva wondered if he was trying to use any of his demonic talents on her. "Now let's adjust your grip." His hands were warm and Minerva could feel the roughened fingertips against her skin as he shifted her hands to a more practical position. He was speaking quietly about why this grip was better and would protect her wrists more from impacts against the blade, but Minerva's focus was on her tactile senses rather than hearing. She could tell why Patty's cat had taken a liking to Dante now. His warmth was above that of a normal human, although probably not enough for human senses to consciously discern without prior warning of his heritage, and those fingers were just right for easing through fur to remove the stress of the day. Those hands were on her arms now to bend her elbows, and up to her shoulders to turn her upper body slightly. Minerva bit down on the urge to rub her head against his hand and purr, that was not appropriate at all. He was a demon! Well, half demon actually, but that wasn't much improvement!

"You need to spread your feet a little wider to keep balance more easily," Dante was saying as Minerva forced herself back into focus.

"Ok," she heard herself mutter as she obeyed his instruction, hoping he hadn't realised her lack of concentration.

"Good." He pulled his hands away and Minerva had to force herself not to move towards his warmth again. Her feline tendencies cried out to force Dante to sit down somewhere that she could curl up against his warmth and be stroked indefinitely.

"Now that we all have the right grip we should learn a few movements." Dante picked up his demonstration sword to show the group a couple of basic arcs and indicated where the most effective targets on the human body were to incapacitate your foe. He was very clear which points would potentially kill and which would just injure a typical adversary. Taking a blow to the neck was definitely to be avoided but the chest was more protected, due to the rib cage. Minerva found herself impressed Dante had so much anatomy knowledge, and found herself wondering if his anatomy was any different.

'He probably only knows this so he can kill people quicker,' Minerva thought in an effort to try and remind herself that she was meant to be distrusting this man, whatever her feline instincts were saying.

"The most important part of sword fighting is blocking your opponent's attacks. Watching his or her movements is essential as it will let you get your sword into the right place to stop their blade from hitting you. When you can, keep your feet on the ground to make sure you are stable and keep your sword close to your body. It may seem like you shouldn't let your opponent get anywhere near you, but if you stretch out your arms you can lose your balance and give your opponent the chance to take control. If possible dodge your opponent's attacks as this will give you an opening to attack if you're quick. They are expecting to come into contact with something when they attack, so may even overbalance, which will give you control." Dante looked around the group. "It's probably worth splitting into pairs to have a bit of practice. Keep it slow so you can both focus on how you are moving and maintaining your balance."

Minerva looked up at Rubeus as they moved to face each other. She held up her sword in the position Dante had taught them a few minutes ago and prepared to block Rubeus's first swing.

* * *

"That was hard work," one of the teachers was commenting as they sat down in the great Hall for lunch.

"Did it go well?" Patty was asking Dante as she sat down next to the demon hunter.

"It was easier than I thought it was going to be. Most of them have some experience of duelling with magic so know how to stand." Dante pulled food onto his plate and tucked in to his pizza.

"Do you think you will find anyone you can have a proper fight with?" Patty asked as she copied his movements to get herself some lunch, sandwiches and salad.

"In a few years, if they all practice, I could probably have some very satisfying duels with most of the group." Dante took a mouthful of pizza. "I would still win of course."

"Have you ever tried to be modest?"

"Once. It didn't feel very comfortable, so I decided not to try again." Dante smiled as Patty rolled her eyes and turned away from him to talk to other members of staff. She had spent the day in the greenhouses being told about the various plants being grown there, rather than join Dante's class. She had no interest in watching Dante try to train the teachers to wield swords. Dante had given her some basic lessons with blades and taught her to shoot a while ago, as he had seen it as an essential skill after the Abigail incident. Lady had agreed with him and took Patty to the local gun range, paying the owner a few dollars to turn a blind eye to her age, for practice with standard guns rather than those Lady and Dante fought with. Patty had proved to be a fairly accurate shot and could now dual wield Ebony and Ivory with some skill, but sword fighting was a failure so she had no interest in watching others learn.

"Thank you for the lesson, Dante," one of the teachers told the group as he sat down at the table. "It was very informative and fun. Would you be willing to give us more lessons?"

"I don't think it is appropriate for the teachers to be sword fighting whilst there are students present." Minerva's voice was stern and she surveyed those present.

"It's not like I'd encourage the kids to kill each other," Dante complained before Minerva glared at him. "Ok, no lessons during term time. Can I give another lesson before the kids arrive?"

"You can, if there is time, but we must get the school ready for the start of the year." Minerva looked away from Dante and tried to focus on her lunch. She felt uncomfortable with the half demon nearby after feeling that warmth earlier and having all her barriers disappear in a matter of seconds. The demonic allure she had read about might have been responsible, but she had expected Dante to use that the first time they met if he was capable of it.

'Unless he's planning to do something to me. He knows I don't trust him and might be trying to make sure I don't notice him doing anything suspicious.' Minerva glanced towards Dante who was happily chatting with another member of staff. 'Should I warn everyone about what he is? They should be allowed to judge for themselves...but I'd be giving him another reason not to trust humans. I need to talk to Albus about this. Dante is dangerous and I'm not sure how much we can trust him.'

"Could you show me around the school this afternoon, Minerva?" Dante's voice cut through Minerva's thoughts. "I know I had a short tour from Albus awhile ago, but it would be good to see everything."

"I'm sure there are other people who could give you a better tour than I can."

"Nonsense, Minerva, very few people know this school as well as you do," Rolanda commented. "If you don't have time though, I'm sure I can show you some of the school's sights." The suggestive smirk was hard to miss and Minerva felt the desire to shake Rolanda and shout that Dante wasn't human.

"I will make the time," was all she managed instead.

* * *

"Do you want someone else to come with us?" Dante asked as he stood by the doorway to Minerva's office. "I can ask Patty to join us, if it would make you more comfortable?"

"That won't be necessary," Minerva said as she checked her wand was easy to draw quickly encase she needed it. It was mostly for her own comfort that she was not defenceless, but if Dante really wanted to kill her, she expected he would succeed.

"Why did you agree to show me around?"

"You need to know about the school or you won't be able to do your job."

"Anyone could show me around, Minerva, or I could use a map and explore myself."

"Why did you ask for me then?!" Minerva snapped, irritated by Dante already and they hadn't left her office yet. She had been feeling tense all day due to him and having Dante around her, alone, in her office, she wasn't sure she'd be able to keep her temper in check. It probably wasn't the best situation to be in, in hindsight she should have let Rolanda take Dante for a 'private tour'.

"Because I don't want you to be scared of me. I am used to people getting nervous or excited. I've had a few people express hatred and try to kill me, but I don't like working around people who are worried I'm about to kill them for fun!" Dante paused after his small outburst and stared at the floor whilst Minerva kept her eyes glued to his expression, trying to discern how he really felt about what he was saying. "It still mystifies me why Albus hired me, but he did and I would rather not have my co-workers terrified of me. We might never be friends, but I'd like to at least try and not be enemies." 'For Patty's sake far more than my own, but Minerva doesn't need to know that,' Dante added on in his mind.

"I don't trust you, but we can try."

"Good," Dante grinned. "I knew you weren't immune to my charms." Minerva froze and Dante tilted his head slightly as he noticed. "What did I say wrong?"

"You are trying to subdue me, aren't you?! You genuinely are trying to use some demonic power to make me trust you!" She pulled her wand and Dante growled in response. "I can't believe I was falling for it as well! You already have Severus and Rubeus under your control!"

"If I was stupid enough to try that, which I'm not, I'd be exhausted by now!" Dante yelled back, annoyance clear on his face. He had stepped away from the door and into the office, despite the wand currently aimed at his neck.

"Don't take another step," Minerva hissed as she adjusted the grip on her wand, getting ready to destroy the collar if necessary. Dante remained silent and stationary, obviously unsure what he should do. His demonic side was screaming to just kill her before she tried to harm him and he shut his eyes to try and force it down.

'She's scared and doesn't know what to do! We have to try and calm her down! She needs to trust we aren't a threat! This is for Patty! We have to do anything it takes to make life easier for Patty here!'

"I know my word is next to useless, but it's all I have. I promise I will never use any demonic abilities on you, or anyone else in the school, without permission. The contract I signed with Albus stated that I was not allowed to use demonic powers on anyone, other than myself, except with explicit permission or in the protection of staff and students. If I break that, I'm gone, and so is Patty, which I don't want to happen."

Minerva's wand was wavering slightly as her adrenaline level dropped. The initial anger at Dante was disappearing as she listened to his voice. He was not attacking her, despite the growl and brief flicker of violent intent she had seen in his eyes when he stepped towards her. That moment of desire to harm was real, Minerva was sure of that, but he had stopped advancing before she even focused her wand on him and seemed determined to solve this with words, not bloodshed. He was a man of action usually, the weapon collection and profession were testament to that, but he was trying to use another method to placate her.

"You can't affect people in that way, can you?" Minerva asked slowly as the possibility that Dante wasn't capable of everything the demons she had been told bedtime stories of could do dawned on her.

"I can't control them, just adjust emotional responses slightly. Can I?" Dante held out a hand as he had earlier to request permission to move her grip.

"What are you going to do?" Minerva pulled her hand back and tried to read Dante's facial expression for any ill intent.

"I can reduce your anxiety, then you can judge for yourself whether I'm capable of controlling anyone in this castle."

"If you do anything else I will destroy the collar," Minerva eventually answered, an internal battle clear on her face.

"Understood." Dante's hand touched the back of hers and the warmth soaked into her skin. It felt different from the sensation earlier that day, a slight tingling that spread from the point of contact across her body. If she hadn't been aware that Dante was doing something she wouldn't have noticed the faint prickling and been focused on the hand holding the back of hers. "How do you feel?" Dante asked quietly as he withdrew his hand.

"Calm. I can see why your victims don't run away." The comment was intended to be insulting and convey her distrust of his intentions, but lacked the venom her voice had previously held. 'He used his magic on me. I should be angry or panicking. It feels muted, like I've been given a calming draught mixed with a draught of peace.'

"Did it seem as if I could control you?"

"No," Minerva admitted, missing the comfort that touch had given her. "I think it could only be used to stop someone from fighting back."

"That's the point of it, and I can't do anything without the skin on skin contact. The only time I really use it is to help Patty sleep, I can take away the nightmares."

"Does it only work on people?" Minerva asked as she rubbed the back of her hand where Dante had touched her.

"I've only used it on humans but ..." Dante hesitated. 'Do I admit to her that Vergil used to take away my nightmares? I only taught myself how to affect emotions because of him. If I'm going to make her trust me I need to be honest.' "I learnt how to do it because my brother used to take away my nightmares."

Minerva watched Dante as his eyes closed, obviously something about his brother was a painful memory. She remained silent, unsure what to say or do. The idea of a demon having nightmares seemed unbelievable, but Dante wasn't a demon, not a full demon anyway, and he had a brother that meant something to him. His brother had taught him to take away people's nightmares and Dante claimed had taken away his own nightmares, so this brother must have cared about Dante and Dante cared enough to return the favour. He also claimed to protect Patty from her nightmares, which was certainly not something an uncaring demon would do.

"What else about me scares you?" Dante asked quietly, determined to try and solve all of Minerva's fears if he could.

Minerva blinked as she tried to think of what to say. His intentions were the main problem, but there was nothing he could possibly do to prove those were genuinely good. Demons were perfectly capable of playing a very long con and were not above playing the good guy if it got them what they wanted.

"I don't know. You have abilities I know nothing about and you are meant to kill humans. We are your prey, but you claim to just eat pizza. I think I am scared that you are the demon my mother would tell me stories about when I was growing up."

"I don't kill people and I certainly don't eat people. Personally the thought of eating a human is disgusting, but I have been known to eat raw meat." Dante dragged the chair opposite Minerva's desk forward so he could sit in it. "My abilities are a long list which I can't guarantee is accurate. I tend to forget what is considered normal. You have already witnessed me slipping into my devil trigger. That's probably one of the most visible and I can take on different forms depending on which of my devil arms I have with me when I trigger. I have not attempted to trigger whilst wearing this," Dante touched the collar around his neck, "so I don't know if I can currently. Compared to humans I have exceptional senses; sight, hearing and scent are significantly heightened, but I have no knowledge about my sense of taste or touch in comparison. I also heal very swiftly, Lady describes me as a cockroach because I just don't die, and am rather strong." Dante smirked at his final statement, Minerva suspected it was because his strength was significantly above that of a human.

"You blocked Severus out of your mind and could adjust my emotions," she pointed out, knowing Dante's list was incomplete. Dante's smile disappeared as he sighed.

"My mental powers are limited but they are defensive, many demons have abilities which can affect your mental state so I had to build up barriers." 'Verge liked to look through my head, but I could never block him out fully. I wonder if he could still get in my head? My mental defences have improved since then.' "Adjusting your emotions is limited, as I already explained, and I see no reason to try and train it any further. My other abilities are from demons I have conquered. This may take some time to explain, but I can try and simplify it, if you would like?"

"I would appreciate it."

"Demons value power above most other things, and whichever demon has the most power is in charge. When one demon defeats another they prove they are superior and the defeated demon must serve the winner. This doesn't always happen, often the inferior demon will just die, but mid or high level demons will usually admit defeat and transfer their power to the victor. Those devil arms you saw in my rooms, most are from demons that I have defeated and contain the power of that demon. When I hold one of those weapons I have their power added to my own. I reckon their power levels must be low enough to avoid the wards affecting them though, or maybe the wards are clever enough to not affect bound demonic power. Other demons do not give the winner a physical item but you gain an ability which will be with you for the rest of your life, and I assume whoever defeats me will gain them."

"What have other demons given you?" Minerva asked. When Dante had mentioned someone defeating him she had felt a small amount of panic. The idea of someone stronger than him was a terrifying thought and Minerva realised she had started to think of Dante as a being with ultimate power. Something about him screamed that he was the champion of this domain and no one stood a chance against him.

"I can increase my speed significantly for short periods of time, to me it seems as if the world slows down for a few moments. It is a very useful skill in fights. I have used it to slow down other people's perception of time as well. I can use a skill I tend to call doppelganger. It drives Trish mad as she didn't realise how I could seem to be in two places at once. My shadow becomes a copy of me, it's not a perfect copy and whilst using it I have no shadow or reflection, which is a bit unnerving."

"I would have thought the unnerving part would be looking at a copy of yourself," Minerva replied with a smile. Dante was telling her far more than she had expected, and she didn't feel threatened. He had answered her questions on the phone about how quickly he healed and how strong he was, as well as some questions about his heritage. She had asked about how much power he had and whether his mother had any magical abilities, but the fact that Dante wasn't human had been so detached then. Feeling his devil trigger had changed all that and made it real. Now he was sat here, in her office, looking entirely human, but very definitely not, and explaining what he was capable of.

"I think most people would be disturbed by seeing their own face on another person, but I find it comforting. My brother and I were identical twins." 'We possibly still are identical, but Verge isn't here anymore.'

"Oh. I'm sorry for your loss," Minerva felt like an idiot as soon as she spoke, especially when Dante just raised an eyebrow in response. They sat in silence for a few minutes as Minerva tried to think of a sensible comment to break it.

"Do you have any siblings?" Dante eventually asked.

"Two younger brothers. They both have children now and I visit them occasionally. The children used to visit me quite often, before I moved back into the castle."

"It must be nice to have nephews and nieces." Dante smiled and Minerva thought he might even be a little jealous.

"You have Patty. I imagine having a daughter is very rewarding."

"I am Patty's protector, and that is only temporary. When her mother is out of hospital I am sure Patty will leave me behind. I may think of her as part of my family, and am willing to make sacrifices for her, but that will never change the fact that I am simply a replacement until her mother is better."

"You care for her. She isn't your flesh and blood, she's not even officially your daughter, but I've seen enough parents with their children to recognise genuine love when I see it."

"I guess that is one of your abilities," Dante replied with a smile, not wanting to discuss his family. "What others do you have?"

"I suppose it is only fair as you told me what you could do. I teach transfiguration here, which is the turning of one thing into another. You saw me doing that earlier with the swords we used for practice." Dante nodded, remembering watching Minerva turn the sticks into small wooden replicas of Rebellion. "I am also fairly adept at other spell casting, including those used in duelling, and am proficient at broomstick riding. My talent for transfiguration is my main skill though and I am a registered animagus."

"Animagus?" Dante asked, not recognising the word.

"I can turn into an animal. In my case a cat," Minerva smiled.

"That explains it! I assumed you had a pet cat, but there's no cat hair on your robes, so I was getting very confused!"

"Explains what?"

"Why your scent is slightly feline. It's been annoying me since yesterday. Everyone else at lunch I could pick out the reason why their scent wasn't entirely human, except yours. Now it makes sense."

"Your sense of smell must be fairly exceptional. I have not transformed in several weeks." Minerva looked at Dante across the desk as his expression turned to smug. "It would be interesting to know what you notice about the castle that the rest of us may miss. I imagine what we see will be only a fraction of what you can deduce about a location."

"Trust me, a person's scent can tell you far more than you ever wanted to know about them. I'm not looking forward to this place being filled with hormonal teenagers. I think it might be torture for the first few days whilst my senses adjust." The implication was clear to Minerva as Dante wrinkled his nose.

"If there is anything that can help, I am sure Poppy or I are willing."

"It'll just take a couple of days before my mind starts filtering the students out as background information. I'm fine in strip joints, so I am sure I can cope with a boarding school." Minerva narrowed her gaze as Dante mentioned visiting strip clubs.

"I hope you will not mention your sexual activities in front of any students."

"I promise to keep my mouth shut around the students. Believe it or not I am careful about minimising Patty's exposure to the more socially unacceptable parts of my life."

"I'm not sure maintaining her innocence is the wisest choice when she has you as a guardian. She is exposed to demons who have no intentions to spare her just because she is a child."

"She is a Lowell. The family attracts demons, but with me protecting her I have tried to give her some of her childhood back. Every child deserves time to play and enjoy life without fear of the adult world." Their gazes were locked over the desk as Dante wondered how this conversation had left his control. He had intended to try and stop Minerva's fear of him, but seemed to have gone from explaining his abilities, even demonstrating one, to defending his choices when dealing with Patty. This was not how he expected to spend his afternoon.

"How did you end up caring for Patty?" Minerva asked. She was feeling more comfortable with Dante now, after he seemed so willing to talk and had shown human emotions when speaking about his brother and Patty. He had been a protector for Patty, a Lowell family member, for a while and Minerva wasn't sure how anyone with demonic blood would end up doing that without being forced. Was Dante bound to the Lowells?

"I was hired to accompany her. She was being followed by demons and I protected her, which made her start relying on me. Before I was sure what had happened she was in Devil May Cry more than she was at the orphanage and I converted my spare room so she could use it. The orphanage weren't happy with that as I didn't officially adopt her, so she was still their responsibility. When her mother appeared Patty was spending most of her time with me and it took me a few days to get used to being on my own in the office again. It was only a week before Nina collapsed and Patty came to live with me full-time. We've managed to get along and Lady has been staying in the area to help us, so Patty has a female influence as well. It is only temporary though and I'm sure I will be left behind eventually." Dante was staring at the floor by the end of his short speech and Minerva thought his eyes looked slightly misty.

'Even devils may cry,' Minerva smiled slightly to herself as she remembered the name of Dante's shop.

"I'm sure you won't be forgotten. Patty cares about you and I'm sure that won't change." Dante looked up, blinking quickly to clear his vision. "We should go on a tour. You do still want one, don't you?"

* * *

The conversations during the tour were mostly small talk as there were other people around the castle who may overhear them. Occasionally Minerva had asked what Dante could tell about a location when she was certain they were alone.

"I can smell books. Old paper and leather bindings." Dante had shut his eyes to focus on his other senses as he felt around the classroom for clues. "This is definitely not a practical classroom, at least I can't sense any residual magic, probably the teacher prefers theory lessons. Maybe I could tag along to this subject and learn some stuff?" Dante opened his eyes to grin at Minerva.

"I think you know enough already." Minerva sighed, she had been impressed by Dante's deductions so far. He had been accurate about almost all the rooms they had visited and his description of Severus's classroom had been excellent, he even correctly identified the ingredients of the last potion mixed there. Severus had arrived part way through Dante's deductions and confirmed which potion he had been working on before Minerva and Dante continued their tour. "If you really want to learn though, I can't stop you."

"I can't smell a teacher, only students," Dante was frowning. "Is this a spare classroom?"

"Professor Binns is a ghost," Minerva told Dante with a smile. It was a relief to know Dante's sense of smell had limits. "He teaches history and I am sure he would give you a lecture if you wanted it."

"I think I'll give it a miss. I was never very good at remembering dates."

"Most of the students don't remember much of his lessons, but it is important to understand our past." Minerva continued to smile as Dante shrugged. "If you don't learn from history you are doomed to repeat it."

"That sounds like it came out of a fortune cookie," Dante informed her making Minerva chuckle. She found she had been doing that quite a bit when walking around with Dante and suspected it was because of the incident in the office earlier. It should have been unsettling how much influence that small touch had, but it was nice to feel this free of negative emotions. Minerva was sure the lack of concern or worry would only be temporary and no doubt tomorrow she would feel them again. She found Dante's terrible jokes and childish manners quite endearing currently, but that must also be a result of whatever he had done as she would normally only find them irritating.

"I was paraphrasing a famous quotation. I am sure it has made its way into fortune cookies, as it is good advice."

"I'm a more 'take life as it comes' kind of guy," Dante replied with a smirk.

"I can tell. Let us continue the tour."

"Lead the way, Minerva."

* * *

The few owls in the owlery started screeching when they stepped in and retreated to higher levels of the building.

"I get the feeling they don't like me," Dante said as his gaze narrowed. "They can probably sense I'm not entirely human."

"This may not be a good place for you to visit during the school terms. Students bring their owls here and I would dread to think of the noise they would make when this place is full."

"They'd probably attack me if there are enough of them," Dante told her with a slight laugh. Minerva looked unconvinced, if animals could tell what he was there was no way they would attack him when they had the option to run away. "I've had a pack of dogs decide to take me on before, a surprising number of animals, when in packs, will choose the fight rather than flight option when confronted with demons. Others realise I have no interest in hurting them. Do the owls respect you?"

"They are post owls. They respect all wizards."

"Try telling them I'm not a threat," Dante suggested.

"He isn't a threat. Dante is working for Albus," Minerva said loudly, feeling slightly idiotic about doing so, but the owls calmed down almost instantly and some descended to lower perches.

"They definitely respect you," Dante commented as a large barn owl swooped down and Dante held out his arm for the owl to land on. "I won't hurt any of you, I promise. Can you tell the others when they arrive?" Minerva watched Dante speaking to the owl. It wasn't a particularly odd sight for a wizard to speak to their owls in that way, but these birds had been raising an alarm call about Dante less than a minute ago. Now one was perched on his arm and appeared to be listening to every word.

A small screech was Dante's response and the owl took off to return to its fellows on the perches. Dante turned his head to look at Minerva.

"It's pack mentality. They see you as a leader, so when you claim I am safe, they follow. That bird is at a lower level of command and was confirming what you were saying. It will now report back to the others what it found, and they will tell the new owls when they arrive."

"How did you know that would work?" Minerva asked, intrigued by the little trick.

"I didn't," Dante told her with a smile. Minerva folded her arms in response, not believing him. "Ok, I suspected it would work. I've had enough jobs when the owners have pets to know how animals tend to respond to me. Guard dogs are the worst as most people who have bought one are not in control, so they either try and savage me or run away in fear. I have been in an owlery before where the owls took a particular dislike to me and it took the post master yelling that I wasn't a threat to get them to back off." Minerva raised an eyebrow. "No I didn't hurt any of the owls. I crouched down and covered my face as any sane person would when a flock of owls attacked them. Yes I did consider killing the lot of them, but I needed to get paid and I don't think incinerating the post office would help me in getting my paycheck."

"So you can think ahead. I thought you only lived in the moment."

"I guess I can learn from past mistakes," Dante replied with a laugh.

"You've burnt a building down before?" Minerva asked, curiosity may have killed cats in the past, but a few questions wouldn't hurt.

"Things have a habit of breaking around me." Dante paused. "I also have a lot of accidents with fire, sharp objects, guns, sometimes ice, a motorbike or three."

"You've never grown up, have you?"

"Being an adult sounds boring," Dante complained. "But I can be serious when I need to be. I do understand that I have to be serious about this job and be a decent-ish role model for the kids… does being a horrible warning work better?"

Minerva narrowed her gaze at him again, unsure whether to believe Dante was capable of being serious for more than a few seconds at a time.

"We should take a look around the grounds."

* * *

"I will let Rolanda teach you about quidditch when she gives you your flying lesson. It will be interesting to see how well you do. I'm not sure how the brooms will respond to you."

"Probably refuse to work for me," Dante smiled as he looked up at the stadium they were passing. Minerva had indicated it was where they played quidditch on broomsticks, but hadn't explained what the game entailed.

"That's the lake which contains several animals who I am sure would not appreciate you deciding to take a dip." Minerva thought it best to warn him after the conversation in the owlery. Dante would probably ignore the warning though. "The rest of the grounds you are free to wander in, unless Rubeus tells you not to. He will make a far better tour guide for them than I will."

"I will stay out of the lake...probably," Dante replied as he looked towards the placid surface. It did look quite inviting in the warm weather and Dante wondered how bad it would be to go for a swim. He would definitely have to find out at some point.

Minerva led them to a hut near the edge of the woods and knocked on the door.

"Ah Minerva, Dante, come in!" Rubeus greeted them as he stepped aside to usher them inside. "I just put the kettle on. Come on Fang let them in."

Fang was growling at Dante as the half demon bent down and held out his hand.

"I'm not going to hurt you. You must have smelt me on Rubeus when he got back from London and he's fine," Dante said in an even tone.

"Fang, he's a friend," Rubeus told the dog as the growling stopped. Fang looked up at Rubeus before inching slowly over to Dante and sniffed the outstretched hand. He still seemed wary but allowed Dante to scratch him behind the ears. Dante stood up after a moment and stepped into the hut to take the seat next to Minerva on what appeared to be a sofa. Fang watched him and seemed to be considering something as Rubeus poured out tea for the group.

"So what have you been seeing this afternoon?" Rubeus asked as he handed a mug to Minerva.

"I've shown Dante around the classrooms and pointed out the entrances to all the dormitories. I have a map in my office which I will give you later, it has where all the teacher's offices and living quarters are marked on. I was hoping you could tell Dante about the grounds and give him a tour." Minerva sipped her mug when she finished and felt the sofa dip considerably.

"What is it with me and animals?" Dante asked in irritation. "First Nevan and now Fang?" The large hound gave Dante the canine equivalent of a shrug before laying his head against the half demon's chest and going to sleep.

Rubeus and Minerva started laughing at Dante's predicament. Dante tried to shift his arms so he could drink his tea and made Fang move slightly so he was more comfortable.

"Considering he was scared of you a few minutes ago I'm surprised he's decided to cuddle you," Rubeus commented when he got his laughter under control.

"It's because you're warm," Minerva informed them. She smiled as Dante looked confused. "You're body temperature is high, animals like that."

"I suppose I'll have to get used to it. I'm stuck here for seven years with Fang and Nevan to use me as a bed."

"Fang is a big old softy, just shove him off if he's annoying," Rubeus told them as he gulped down his tea.

"Nah, he's fine. He's already put dog hairs all over me so I doubt he can do any more damage."

"He might drool on you," Rubeus warned.

Dante shrugged, "Demons are worse."

The conversation lulled as they all finished their tea and Fang started snoring. Dante stroked behind the dog's ears and felt the scent of the myriad of animals in Rubeus's hut start to irritate his nose. He sniffed hoping he wouldn't sneeze as he didn't want to have to explain the rather destructive properties that might have.

"Do you need a tissue?" Minerva asked as she heard Dante sniffing. She'd had enough experience looking after children to always carry several tissues now and it seemed Dante was going to join the long list of people requiring them.

"A tissue would be great," Dante told her with a slightly relieved smile.

"I should introduce you two to Fluffy," Rubeus said as Minerva pulled a tissue out of her pocket.

"Fluffy's that three headed dog you were telling me about, isn't he?" Dante asked as he gratefully wiped his nose.

"You need to blow your nose properly," Minerva complained, being reminded of her nephews and their inability to blow their noses.

"I'll do that when we're outside," Dante told her with a slight chuckle. "Come on, Fang, up you get." The dog grumbled but stretched and pulled himself off of Dante's lap leaving the half demon coated in dog hairs.

"You are covered," Minerva told him whilst laughing.

"I think I need a shower," Dante replied as he began trying to shake off the worst of the hair as he stood up.

"Come outside and I'll try and brush some of that off," Rubeus gestured towards the door and led them outside. He quickly began brushing Dante's coat to remove the hairs and Dante tried to stand still as the urge to sneeze returned with a vengeance.

"Stop," Dante managed to say as he turned his head to the side and sneezed loudly. The sound rang in his ears for a few moments as he saw the cloud of dog hairs floating back down to the ground.

"That is a rather impressive sneeze," Minerva acknowledged as her hearing returned.

"I've been known to destroy buildings with it," Dante replied with a laugh as he glanced around to see if he'd done any damage.

"You could probably wake the whole castle," Rubeus laughed as he clapped Dante's shoulder. "Let's go see Fluffy. The poor thing's probably terrified of that noise."

* * *

Fluffy was smaller than Dante had pictured, but he had been imagining Cerberus. This three headed dog was only two meters tall and reminded Dante of an overgrown Labrador. Well, an overgrown Labrador with three heads and large teeth.

The scent of the dog definitely indicated it had demonic origin and Dante wondered if it was related to Cerberus in some way. It probably was some sort of distant relative, but a much lower demonic class. How many three headed dogs were there in existence, and how many dogs did you really see that could make a horse look small?

Fluffy had lowered his heads and was whining slightly, all three sets of eyes focused on Dante. Rubeus and Minerva turned to look at their companion as Dante stepped forward, maintaining eye contact with the seemingly submissive dog chained up in the barn.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Dante told Fluffy quietly as he approached. When he was within the hound's reach Dante bent down and lowered his head, breaking eye contact. Fluffy's tail started wagging and he eagerly moved forward to sniff Dante. Dante felt his hair being twitched by Fluffy's sniffing and grimaced as he smelt the dog's breath. He kept his head bowed as Fluffy continued inspecting him to reduce the chance he would be seen as a threat. Fluffy pushed Dante with one of his noses and wagged his tail more firmly.

"I assume that means I'm accepted," Dante said with a laugh and raised his hand to scratch behind the nearest head's ears. "You're just a big, lovable puppy, aren't you?"

Fluffy whined in response and the head on the left dragged a large beam towards Dante. Rubeus started laughing as he saw how confused Dante was.

"He wants to play fetch," the half giant told them. "You're the first person, other than me, he's been happy to play with. Albus doesn't like me letting him run around the grounds though, so we have to keep him on the leash. Poor boy just wants to run, but I can't keep him under control when he does."

"I can," Dante told them, looking back at Fluffy. "You'll obey me won't you, Fluffy?" The dog panted happily and nuzzled Dante's shoulder.

"I don't think you can be certain of that when you've just met the animal," Minerva informed him. "That dog is dangerous and he is not allowed to run free on the grounds encase he hurts someone. He has already tried to attack several members of staff!"

"He's just confused and scared. His instincts are telling him to attack you before you attack him," Dante said as he continued to scratch the nearest head. That was a very familiar feeling, if he was honest he had felt it constantly since he arrived.

"Then why isn't he attacking you?" Rubeus asked, approaching Fluffy and stroking one of the heads.

"Because his demonic blood is telling him to submit to a stronger demon."

"He's a demon?" Minerva asked, surprise clear in her voice.

"Only partially. Enough to cause the mutation, but not to trigger the wards," Dante explained, smiling to himself. It was nice to know he wasn't the only one around the castle with demonic blood, even if Fluffy was just a dog and wouldn't be capable of a conversation.

The silence stretched between the four as Dante continued scratching Fluffy behind the ears whilst the dog nudged him and tried to pull away from the wall.

"Shh, they say I can't let you go," Dante said quietly and Fluffy whined in response. "You have to be good and hopefully we can play at some point soon." Dante chuckled as Fluffy continued to nudge him whilst whining.

Rubeus stood nearby, watching Dante and Fluffy bond, whilst Minerva remained in the doorway. She was not going anywhere near Fluffy without good reason, but the dog seemed calm with Dante petting him. It was an odd sight, Dante seemed genuinely happy for the first time Minerva had seen since he had arrived at the school and Fluffy was playfully nudging him in a similar manner to typical pets humans had around their houses.

'Is this the demonic equivalent of a human with their pet?' Minerva thought as Rubeus walked back towards the door.

"I think you might have lost your pet," she commented as they continued to watch Dante.

"Nah, Fluffy still knows I'm his mummy," Rubeus told her with a grin. Minerva felt the desire to roll her eyes at Rubeus's perceived relationships with his pets. The lack of a mother figure in his childhood had definitely damaged his view of family relationships, and compensating with his pets was not healthy in her opinion. There was no way to undo the damage now though and, as long as no one was hurt, Minerva wasn't going to stop Rubeus from keeping his pets.

"I'll visit again soon," Dante was promising Fluffy as he started backing away from the creature. The whining was increasing in volume as Dante's distance increased. "I promise I'll be back soon."

"You are coated in dog hair and drool again," Minerva pulled out her tissues for the second time and started wiping Dante's face clean out of habit. Rubeus chuckled as Dante spluttered, unsure how to respond to the attack from a tissue and hoping it would end soon.

* * *

Rubeus nodded his goodbyes to Dante and Minerva as they headed back to the castle. He had said something about checking on his other pets, and asked if Dante and Minerva wanted to join him. Minerva had hurriedly made some excuses, definitely not wanting to explore the menagerie that Rubeus called his family. Dante grabbed Minerva's excuses to use himself, finishing the tour was a sensible option for them both to use anyway, and followed Minerva back across the grounds.

"So, is there anything else you wanted to show me?" Dante asked, allowing a suggestive smirk to appear on his face before Minerva's glare made him grin at having irritated her.

"I thought you were trying to be a grown up," she complained, the calm from earlier appeared to have worn off now. 'I let him play around and enjoyed it. It must be a form of occlumency, he must have forced me to believe I liked him.'

"I believe what I was suggesting is usually considered a pastime exclusively done by adults," Dante told her, struggling not to grin. Minerva refused to acknowledge his comment as she pushed open the doors to enter the castle.

"Ah, Minerva and our newest staff member," a voice greeted them.

"Argus, this is Dante, our new Head of Security," Minerva gestured towards Dante who she was certain was stood behind her left shoulder smiling like an idiot. "Dante, this is Argus Filch, our school caretaker."

"And who are you?" Dante's voice sounded much closer to the ground than Minerva had expected and she couldn't stop herself from turning her head to look. Dante was crouched down stroking Mrs Norris, who started purring like a rusty clock as his fingers scratched behind her ears.

"That's my cat," Argus informed him, not sounding happy that Dante appeared to be able to bond with his pet. It was unusual for anyone to be able to even get near the damned feline without risking the loss of an eye, but here she was pushing her head against Dante's hand to demand more affection.

"She's lovely," Dante told Argus, "you are a very lucky man to have such a devoted companion."

"Thank you," Argus replied, taken aback by the strange compliment. Dante smiled slightly as he stood up and nodded to his fellow staff members, in what Minerva assumed was goodbye, before walking away.

"He's a very strange man," Argus said to Minerva eventually as they both stared at the corner Dante had disappeared round.

"I'm not sure if he aims to annoy us, or really does know something we don't," Minerva replied honestly. 'He certainly doesn't seem to share the same way of thinking as the rest of us. I'm not sure whether we can trust him to hold a conversation, let alone with the lives of the staff and students. He does seem to genuinely care about protecting Patty, but I don't know what the rest of us mean to him.'

"I'm going to keep my eye on him. I'll let you know if he steps out of line," Argus promised as he turned to continue his pre-student inspections.

* * *

"Hold your hand out over the broomstick and simply command 'up'." Rolanda told them. Patty and Dante stood next to a couple of broomsticks in the courtyard. They had listened to an explanation of quidditch rules yesterday, and been shown some of the past school matches by a few of the teachers. Dante had been particularly interested in the positions of seeker and beater, explaining that they were the positions which he believed required the most skill. This had not been a popular opinion and he'd been challenged to prove it. Patty had sighed before telling Dante to calm down and at least try riding a broom before he started making comments about skill.

The result was Dante and Patty stood in the courtyard with 12 spectators, including Albus, Severus and Minerva, about to try and ride a broomstick for the first time.

"This is going to be really boring if it turns out they don't respond to me," Dante informed the crowd.

"I think there is still some novelty in seeing you fail," Severus drawled, a smile threatening to appear on his face. Dante's comments implying the seeker for 'that green and grey team' was 'blind as a bat' from one of the matches they'd shown as an example last night was not going to be ignored.

"Up," Dante said, holding his hand out over the broomstick. 'I feel like an idiot,' Dante thought.

'You look like an idiot as well, but that is hardly something new.' Dante gritted his teeth, certain he wasn't imagining it this time. The broomstick lay on the ground, completely unaffected by Dante's command.

"You need to be more forceful, will the broomstick to rise," Rolanda informed Dante as she watched her two students.

"Up," Patty told her broom and was delighted to see it move, unlike Dante's attempt. A round of applause came from the teachers watching, encouragement being given for Patty to try again and 'that's better than most people when they first try'. "Up," Patty tried again and was pleased to catch the broom in her hand.

"I think you've got an advantage," Dante informed her, getting some muttered complaints from the crowd for dismissing Patty's achievement. "But I don't really have any experience in this area, so well done."

"Thanks Dante, you should try again, maybe it'll listen to you now," Patty suggested, glowing under Dante's praise.

'Do you want me to help?' Dante heard Vergil's voice echo in his mind.

"Up." No movement.

'You? Help me?! That always ends well. You would never try and kill me after we worked together...oh wait, you did!'

'Eloquent as always, little brother. I suggest you say something soon or people will start thinking you've gone mad.'

"Up." The broomstick remained stationary on the ground.

'You're distracted. It won't work unless you focus.' Dante could imagine Vergil inspecting his nails as he spoke, almost like the classic movie know-it-all, who annoyingly is always right. Summed up Vergil quite well then.

'My dead twin is insulting me in my own head, of course I'm bloody distracted!'

"Up," Dante managed to bite his tongue to stop himself yelling. Luckily his frustration at Vergil was taken as frustration at his lack of success by the crowd.

'Language, Dante. There are children nearby.'

'Yeah, I'm sure Patty can hear my thoughts,' Dante replied sarcastically.

'Let me help you focus your mind, Dante. The broom won't move until you do.'

'Ok, Verge,' Dante could almost hear the sigh in his own mental voice.

'Good.' It felt like a slight headache, but his mind drilled down to only two objects almost instantly. The spectators, Rolanda, Patty and even Vergil's voice seemed to vanish into the background, leaving only Dante and the broomstick.

"Up." The broom seemed to jump instantly into his grip and the world returned with a whoosh, allowing Dante to hear Vergil chuckling in the back of his mind.

"Yay!" Patty exclaimed as Dante stared at the broomstick now clutched in his hand.

"You must have some magical abilities," Rolanda informed them. "It just took a little while to find them." She was smiling and Dante wondered whether it would have been safer to just fake it and let everyone think he had no ability at all.

'That old, idiot seems pleased,' Vergil commented and Dante found his gaze directed towards Albus.

'He does. I'm still not sure whether to trust him. He reminds me of you.' Dante heard a rather un-Vergil like snort in response.

'I am not that manipulative. He is of use though. He's carrying a power source, which is why I can speak to you.'

"The next task is to try and fly," Rolanda was saying when Dante forced himself to pay attention. He'd rather be finding out what was happening with Vergil, but there was no way he was going to tell anyone that he was speaking to his dead twin brother telepathically.

"Mount the broomstick like this and push off from the ground," Rolanda demonstrated with her own broom and hovered just above the ground.

"Do you want to try first? Or would you rather laugh at me failing?" Dante asked, wondering how likely it was that he'd manage to get off the ground.

'You'll find it easy, but don't show them that. We don't need them finding out how skilled we are.'

'What's wrong with them finding out?'

"You go first," Patty told him, still clutching her broomstick, which was hovering next to her.

"Ok."

The first thing Dante noticed was the similarity with using his devil arms. The broomstick seemed to drawn on his demonic energy to provide the lift, just like Nevan's Air raid ability, and he could agree with Vergil's statement that he would find it easy.

'Fake a crash,' Vergil suggested.

'Why?'

'You do not want that bastard knowing all our skills.'

'Our skills or your skills?'

'Ours. He will use you, Dante. He already is using you, but you need to minimise the damage.'

'Fine.' Dante tilted to broomstick upwards at an angle that would easily cause him to slide backwards and faked losing his grip. He fell the five meters to earth and landed on his back, groaning in pretend pain at the impact. The spectators quickly dashed over to assess the damage and Dante found himself being informed by Poppy that he should go to the hospital wing with her for a proper diagnosis.

"Faker," Patty hissed at him as he limped past her after Poppy. Dante just winked at her in response.

* * *

'Verge?' Dante tried to call out in his head, but was met with silence.

"There's no damage," Poppy told him in her permanently busy sounding tone. "You are free to go."

"Thanks," Dante replied, distracted by the empty feeling within his mind.

'Verge said that Albus was useful as he had a power source that allowed him to talk to me. I need to find that power source.'

The corridors leading to Albus's study were familiar by now and Dante found himself stood outside the entrance before he consciously made the decision to go there.

'I need an excuse.'

He looked around the corridor for inspiration.

'Of course! A quick visit to see Patty's mom before term starts! That'll give me a chance to talk to Lady as well!'

The moment of celebration vanished at that thought. Lady hated Vergil, for very good reasons, and would not be happy to hear that Dante was in telepathic communication with his supposedly dead twin. Could he solve this without Lady's help? What if she found out that he had chosen to hide this from her?

He needed to go back and tell her.

'Hello again, little brother.'

'Hello, big brother.' Dante mocked Vergil's choice of words as he resisted the urge to pace in front of the statue hiding the entrance to Albus's office. 'What do you want?'

'To protect you.' Dante wanted to laugh in response.

'Like you protected me so well all those other times.'

'I believed I needed more power to protect you.'

"Ah Dante, how can I help you?" Albus's voice cut through the end of Vergil's sentence and Dante forced himself to focus on the real world. Albus was stood a few metres away with Minerva and another teacher.

"I was wondering if I could quickly take Patty back to see her mom before term started. It would only be a short trip and gives me a chance to see how much the girls have wrecked my shop." The grin felt slightly forced but Dante hoped Albus and the other teachers present wouldn't notice.

"I think that would be a great idea. With such a change for Patty I'm sure she would appreciate being able to see her mother and let her know she is doing well." Albus smiled and Dante heard Vergil muttering something about faked emotions. Dante forced himself to smile back. "Is there anything else?"

"No, that's it." Dante noticed Minerva was trying not to look directly at him, after the tour she had been avoiding being alone with him. Another thing to discuss with Lady.

"Enjoy your time away but remember that you need to be ready for the students arrival. I would actually like a meeting to discuss a few things with you before then, could you come to my office this Saturday for a chat? After lunch would be a good time, we can have a few cakes together. I always feel it is best to talk whilst enjoying a few treats." Albus's eyes were sparkling with the thought of sweets.

"Of course," Dante agreed immediately. If Albus had the power source that was allowing Vergil to communicate, Dante wanted to be close to it.

'Miss me that much?' Vergil's voice commented.

'You abandoned me, then tried to kill me.'

'That's not an answer.'

"Have fun in America," the other teacher, that Dante couldn't remember the name of, was saying as Albus opened the entrance to his office.

"I will. Have a good meeting." Dante turned and started walking away.

'No, you have to stay near him!' Vergil's voice yelled angrily.

'If I try to stay any longer they'll get suspicious,' Dante hissed as he turned a corner and flattened himself against the stone.

'I can feel the connection weakening.' Dante imagined the reduction in volume was due to the power source being further away now and expected Vergil would disappear again soon.

'So what do you know?' Dante asked, hoping Vergil had enough time to explain.

'Not much,' Vergil seemed to sigh. 'I think I've been gradually gaining strength over the last few years. I only became conscious a few months ago.'

'When exactly?' Dante asked, wondering if his unexpected trip to hell, courtesy of Sid, had woken Vergil.

'I have no idea.' Dante pictured Vergil shaking his head, annoyed at his own inability to understand. 'When I awoke I could feel you. It was as if we were children again and we could talk to each other without words.'

'I miss that,' the words crossed Dante's mind before he could stop them.

'I have missed it as well.' Comfortable silence spread across Dante's mind for a moment as both brothers allowed themselves to remember their childhood. 'I tried to call out to you, but I couldn't. You disappeared and I've been trying to get you back since.'

'Where are you?' Dante asked, determined to find Vergil and rescue him if he could.

'I don't know. I only know I'm linked to you somehow and getting stronger, but I still need a power source to talk with you.'

"I'll speak to you again soon, Albus," Minerva's voice said from around the corner.

'Their meetings over. I need to go before they see me,' Dante thought as he took off down the corridor. 'Bye for now, big brother.'

* * *

"Patty?" Dante called as he pushed open the door to their shared rooms. He had expected her to go back to their rooms fairly swiftly after the flying attempt, but it was possible she had decided to return to the greenhouses. Patty seemed to be spending a lot of her time in the greenhouses chatting with Professor Sprout. Dante had ventured in a couple of times, but found the aroma of compost and strange plants a little too much to handle.

"Meow," Nevan commented from her position on the sofa. Dante wandered in and stroked Nevan on his way to the kitchen. He pulled a beer out of the cupboard which Flora had filled for him. There was a range of bottles and Dante was looking forward to sampling all of them whilst he was here.

"Dante?" Minerva's voice called from the living room. She couldn't have been far behind Dante on his walk back from Albus's office.

"Do you want a drink?" Dante asked as he fetched a mug from a nearby cupboard.

"No, I won't be staying long." Minerva stepped into the kitchen as she spoke, obviously not particularly happy at being this close to Dante without others present.

"Ok," Dante replied as he pulled the lid off his beer bottle and took a swig. He noticed Minerva's small grimace at his action before she hid it behind her indifferent mask.

"I need to set a lock on your door before the new term starts."

"What sort of lock?" Dante asked. He'd been expecting this at some point soon, but no one had mentioned it to him yet.

"A password, like the dormitories have," Minerva replied. "When you think of one, let me know and I'll set it on your door at the end of the month."

'A password? I'm going to have to share it with other people, including Patty, so it can't be anything too bad.' Minerva had turned to leave as soon as her message was delivered.

"Vergil."

"What?" Minerva asked as she was reaching for the door handle to leave Dante's rooms.

"Set the password to Vergil." Dante turned away and returned to his kitchen.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed it and like the way the story is progressing. I've written the first bit of the next chapter but have a busy couple of weeks coming up so don't know when it'll get posted. Hopefully it won't be too long a wait for you all.

Date: 14/02/16


	6. Chapter 5

Sorry for how long this has taken. Real life has been rather insane over the last month or so and I haven't been able to sit down and type.

Warnings: Excessive drinking, medication for mental health taken but not discussed, the use of fighting to deal with tension, I think that's it but I've probably forgotten something, sorry.

* * *

"Dante!" Patty called as she pushed open the door to their currently shared accommodation. She immediately recognised the smell of beer from her long standing position as Dante's cleaner. "Seriously?! You fail at riding a broom so you drink! That is really childish!"

"Ugh?" Dante managed to groan from the sofa where he currently was sampling the ninth variety of beer left by Flora. He'd finished the first bottle swiftly whilst thinking over everything Vergil had said. Opening a second bottle, and a third, had been fairly automatic and the pleasant buzz that had resulted from the alcohol had driven Dante to open a fourth and fifth. From then on it had been easy to continue drinking the bottles lined up in the cupboard.

"Professor Sprout let me help her plant some devil's snare. She said it's a dangerous plant to grow, but the headmaster asked her to grow some. Why do you think he needs a plant like that?" Patty began picking up the beer bottles which were on the floor next to Dante.

"I don't know," Dante managed to slur. He glared up at the ceiling trying to remember what he had wanted to tell Patty earlier. There was definitely something important.

"It's not long before school starts," Patty continued chatting as she took the bottles into the kitchen.

'Ah that was it. Seeing Patty's mom before term started.'

"I asked Albus if we could go back home tomorrow to see your mom. Let her know that you're ok."

"You did that for me?" Patty asked quietly as she peered around the kitchen door at Dante curled up on the sofa. He looked ready to fall asleep, his eyelids drooping shut as he struggled not to give in to the urge.

"I thought you might want to see her," Dante mumbled, forcing himself to look over at Patty.

"Thank you, Dante." Patty wandered back over to him with the glass of water she had originally headed into the kitchen to fetch. "Come on, sit up," she ordered and watched Dante push himself upright. He took the water and gulped it down.

"Thanks," he muttered and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"You need to stop drinking," Patty told him. She hadn't seen him drunk in months, not since before Abigail had attacked actually. It was a little unnerving to see him like this, hopefully it wasn't a sign he was struggling to adjust to the new environment. "You worry me when you're like this."

"Sorry," Dante let his head droop forward. "I've just got a lot on my mind." 'Yeah a dead brother deciding to not be so dead is a bit more than I think anyone can cope with.'

"If you want to talk about it, I'm here," Patty told him as she sat down on the edge of the sofa.

"Thanks," Dante managed to mutter as he finally allowed sleep to overtake him, dropping the empty glass to the floor. Patty sighed and pushed his hair back from his face.

"I guess I'll get you a blanket and go find something else to do until dinner."

* * *

"I don't like it when he drinks," Patty complained as she filled the watering can from the tap she had been directed to.

"It's very irresponsible for him to drink that much alcohol. If he does it again we will have to tell Albus," Professor Sprout replied as she continued repotting plants. "Now add three drops from the vial and water the pots on the table."

"He promised he would stop getting drunk." Patty used a small pipet to add the drops.

"Well, we can ask the house elves to make sure he doesn't have any alcohol on campus." She watched as Patty tipped a small amount of the mixture into each pot. "Once they've started sprouting we'll have to move them to their new home. Albus should be happy, they'll grow swiftly if we give them the right nutrients."

"What does the headmaster want with them?" Patty asked as she finished her task and inspected the pots.

"A personal project. There are some aspects of this school that I'm not allowed to share with students I'm afraid." Professor Sprout looked down at Patty and smiled as Patty looked grumpy at being denied the information she'd requested. "Now let's go back to the student greenhouses. I need your help getting some more things ready for the students arrival. Greenhouse one is in desperate need of more dittany and asphodel if I'm going to be using them with the first years. I'm glad I will have at least one student who is interested in herbology in the class this year. Most first years don't see the value of my subject, they think it isn't true magic due to the minimal amount of wand waving." Professor Sprout was shaking her head as she opened the door to leave.

* * *

The living room was dark when Dante blinked open his eyes. His headache was already starting to force its way into his mind, a sharp pain between his eyes that was familiar from his previous nights spent with multiple bottles for company. He blinked a couple of times to allow his vision to clear and pushed himself up off the sofa. Stumbling through the dimly lit room into the kitchen Dante struggled to avoid the numerous obstacles. Stubbing his toe on the table caused him to swear quietly and paused to listen to Patty's breathing from the bedroom.

No change. He hadn't woken her.

The cupboard with the glasses creaked slightly as Dante opened it and the tap made a light sound, which felt magnified in Dante's head. His headache continued to intensify as he gulped down the water.

'Why did I decide to start drinking yesterday?' Dante thought, annoyed at himself. Running a hand across his face Dante decided he ought to have a shower if he was going to be reasonable for today's trip.

The shower water was warm and Dante felt his headache beginning to ease as the warmth of the water soaked into his body. He left the light off in fear of the brightness, and hoped the sound of the water was low enough to avoid disturbing Patty.

'I'm an idiot. I promised I'd stop drinking so much and it was working. I rarely had more than three pints, until yesterday!' Dante picked up the bottle of shampoo and started soaping up his hair.

'Stupid, Verge! Fucking, mind invading bastard! Why couldn't he just leave me alone to live in peace?' The shampoo bottle was chucked out of the partially open shower door and broke, spilling shampoo across the floor. Dante glanced at the mess and swore under his breath again. He'd need to clean that up before Patty woke up.

'He always did this when we were kids. If I got something, he'd ruin it for me. Then I get my shop, and he decides to trash that!' Dante growled as he glared at the shower wall.

'Stupid! Idiot! Bastard! Narcissist! Power hungry! Sociopath! Psychopath! Madman!'

His fist connected with the glass shower door sending glass shattering across the steadily growing puddle of water and shampoo on the bathroom tiles. Dante surveyed the mess and sighed. He really needed to get this anger under control before he woke Patty.

'I could try going for a run around the school and grounds.'

* * *

Minerva shut the book and placed it on the top of the steadily growing pile now sat on her desk. She had decided to visit the library yesterday after Dante had told her to set the password to Vergil. Remembering the information he'd given about his family; having a twin brother, a human mother and demonic father had given her some ideas on where to start her research. Ollivander had given her another clue when she visited Diagon Alley earlier in the week and he asked how Mr Sparda was settling in. She had taken a few moments to realise he was referring to Dante and wondered whether the surname was from Dante's mother. It seemed unlikely his father had a family name, but may have created a human identity which Dante had kept the name of. There was a high possibility that the name was fake, but there could still be a link to Dante's past somewhere in the demonic texts which had inspired his choice.

Irma had just returned from a Summer holiday and was surprisingly helpful when Minerva had visited the school library to enquire about books on demons. Her usual response of scowling at anyone asking her questions and reluctance of letting the books leave her sight wasn't present, and Minerva wondered what had caused it. Probably the lack of students currently residing in the library and damaging the books, or the pleasant Summer trip the new pictures on her desk showed.

The restricted section contained a large number of volumes on demons and their uses which surprised Minerva, she'd never realised how much research had gone into this area. Over half of the books had the surnames Lowell or Black written on them, with a handful from the Lestrange family interspersed amongst them, but the families appeared to have very different viewpoints on demons. The Lowells focused on using demons for protection and binding those who posed a threat to wizard kind, whilst the Blacks were interested in the power demons provided them.

A stack of books were selected, which included several claiming to chart the demonic hierarchy, and Minerva found herself asking Irma if they had any documents recording muggle family trees.

"You'll probably be able to find some at the ministry but there isn't any point in us having them. We've got family records of the purebloods, but who would be interested in tracing back a muggle family?" Irma shrugged before returning to her office as Minerva struggled to balance her new reading material.

Most of the books had been useless in finding Dante's family history. They were more focused on how to kill or bind demons, not identifying them. One of the books claiming to be a hierarchy had proved to be a guide of the demons enslaved by the Black family and was little more than bragging to the wizarding world about their power.

The next text Minerva lifted was labelled 'A nice and accurate guide of the demonic world which exists beyond the plane' by several Lowell family members. In fact it seemed it was updated by almost every Lowell generation since Aeron Lowell. Minerva found herself preferring the Lowell style of writing over that used by the Blacks, but it was clear that both families had significantly more experience with the subject over the other writers.

'Demons place greater value on the power of an individual than our society does. This may be physical power or the power to command others. The most powerful demons rule over their own land in the demonic plane and have tried to conquer our own world many times. This book contains information about these demonic rulers and their most powerful followers or adversaries as recounted by our family's many demonic servants.' - Aeron Lowell

'It might have something of interest,' Minerva thought as she refused to let her hopes rise again. When opening the first book she had been excited, but after so many unhelpful texts it was looking like an impossible task. The contents page was split into several categories: Rulers, Advisers, Military, etc. and Minerva let her eyes skim down the list until a familiar name appeared.

'Abigail. A most challenging demon who I have found no way to control. I have summoned and sealed this demon away for the protection of humanity. If Abigail was ever released I would weep for mankind and hope my descendants have control over the demonic might required to take down such a formidable opponent.'

'That's the demon Dante and his co-workers defeated.' Minerva glanced at the continuation of the chapter explaining Abigail's position within the demonic community in detail. The guide was probably exaggerated, but it still seemed impossible for even a small team to stand up to such a power.

Minerva flipped back to the contents page of the guide to choose another demon to read about. She glanced further down and saw the name she had been both hoping and dreading seeing since she first picked up the books.

'Sparda.'

* * *

One of the cupboards in the kitchen contained cleaning supplies and Dante swept the glass into a bag he hid behind some of the saucepans, intending to ask Flora to dispose of it when Patty wasn't around. The shampoo, water and flecks of blood, from where the glass had cut into his fist, was mopped up and the evidence hidden in the same bag as the glass.

Sneaking into the bedroom Dante had grabbed the clothes he had been using for running whilst in Diagon Alley and pulled them on. He needed to burn off some of this frustration and going for a run seemed to be the most appropriate solution.

Minerva had given him a map a few days ago to help him and Patty find their way around the castle. A few running routes had been planned out from the map which Dante was glad he'd taken the time to memorise.

Pushing open the door to the rest of the castle felt freeing and that calm Dante had come to associate with the exercise entered his mind.

The corridors were empty at this time in the morning and Dante could hear his own swift footsteps echoing quietly off the walls as he sped along. His eyes focused on the path ahead of him, taking in the potential hazards he needed to watch out for. Doorways meant people could step out in front of him and staircases could move as he approached. He wasn't able to pick up any real speed just encase someone noticed, maybe he'd be able to play it off as a muggle ability if anyone did catch him but he doubted the staff here would fall for that. The talking pictures seemed unobservant enough to not notice his above human agility, but it would only take one of them to be paying attention and the gossip would start. The slow pace wasn't hugely relaxing and he could feel the tension remaining in the back of his mind.

'I could do with somewhere to spar,' Dante found himself thinking as he had to pause for the third time due to the staircases rearranging themselves. 'Or at least find somewhere to exercise where I can really use my demonic agility without fear of people spotting me.'

The staircase stopped moving and Dante picked up his pace again but noticed a change in the wall ahead of him.

'Don't tell me the corridors change as well! I'm going to get really lost if they move too.'

The newly formed door swung open as Dante paused next to it. Curiosity made him peer inside and look around in surprise.

"What kind of magic is this? I wish for somewhere to spar and this school gives me one?" Dante stepped further into the room and heard the door shut behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see the door melt away into the wall. "I see the privacy issue has been taken care of as well."

A sound from the centre of the room made Dante whip his head back round to try and locate the source of the noise. He smiled as the familiar feeling of a hostile demonic opponent facing him raised his adrenaline level.

* * *

'Two millenniums ago, there was a war. Between the human world and the other, the Underworld, but somebody from the Underworld woke up to justice, and stood up against this legion, alone. His name was Sparda. Later, he quietly reigned the human world, and continued to preserve harmony, until his death. He became a legend, The Legendary Dark Knight, Sparda.'

Minerva flipped through the pages detailing the history and found her eyes drawn to a sketch of the legendary dark knight riding into battle. It looked strikingly similar to the statue she had seen in America. Dante had mentioned something about the statue being of a warrior who had a major victory and Severus had commented on the resemblance between Dante and the statue.

'Sparda remained in the human world and had twin sons with a human. These children and their mother have been the target of multiple demonic attacks due to Mundus's orders. I have attempted to locate them but have always arrived too late to provide any assistance. I fear they are dead, or worse, as I have recently returned from another reported attack where the body of a middle aged woman, who had recently moved in with her twin sons, was recovered. A fire destroyed the town and many people were killed, but I was able to interview several survivors who gave accounts of demons. I fear my questioning may have made the locals more suspicious of the woman and her children as there are many who already believed her to be a witch and have now connected her with the attack. There are no reports of the children's bodies being found, and I hope they are either dead or escaped, but the locals could be lying about not finding them.

'I have spoken to one boy who claims to have been friends with one of the brothers. Ernest called the boy Tony Redgrave but in his delirium from the painkillers I was able to find out Tony had asked Ernest to keep several secrets, including the real names of both brothers - Dante and Vergil. I have very little doubt that these are Sparda's children and hope that I, or one of my descendants, has the honour of meeting them.'

The entry ended at this point and Minerva found herself rereading the paragraphs. If this was Dante it explained some of his comments to do with giving Patty a childhood. He lost his family at a young age and had possibly never experienced a stable home life whilst growing up. It sounded as if he had spent most of his childhood running for his life. What could you say to someone who had experienced that? 'Sorry' felt too small and offering support felt too late, Dante had obviously defended himself for years.

What if it wasn't him? There was no reason it had to be him. Dante may have taken on that identity at some point in the past and it had stuck. The book might not even be true.

'I wonder what other books I can find about Sparda.'

* * *

The shadow creature's foot connected with Dante's chest, sending him backwards into one of the walls. His feet were under him again in a second and he leapt to avoid another blow as a shadow fist collided with the wall. Brickwork fell as the creature pulled back to return to the chase for its quarry.

Dante jumped again to kick what he assumed was the shadow's face. It stumbled but remained standing.

Using his momentum from the kick Dante put some distance between them both so he could assess the situation. The room had only provided them with a large open area; brick walls, flagstone floor and a solid ceiling Dante had collided with once already. There was no shelter and nothing to make into a weapon.

A lunge to the left.

Dante managed a glancing blow with his right foot.

The creature wavered and impacted the nearby wall.

A punch to return it to the wall with added force.

Bricks fell down as the shadow returned the punch to send Dante back across the room.

Several patches of brickwork now showed the evidence of their fight and Dante was sure his clothes were going to need Flora's aid in repairing them. His gaze snapped back to the shadow now rushing him again.

He tasted blood.

The impact with the floor had removed the air from his lungs.

His opponent's elbow dug into his rib cage.

Feet and hands forced the creature away and Dante heard it impact a solid surface.

Blood on the floor where Dante spat as his ribs realigned.

The shadow was back and a new release of adrenaline.

The fist sent it flying backwards.

Time seemed to slow as Dante launched himself after it.

A punch.

A second.

They reached the wall.

Another punch.

And another.

The shadow disintegrated.

"I guess I won," Dante panted. He leant against the wall as he caught his breath. "It was a good fight," he told the room as the door reappeared. "But I need a change of clothes now." He glanced around, wondering if a set would appear, but no new clothing materialized. "It was worth a try."

The door creaked as Dante pushed it open. He'd brushed off as much brick dust as he could; his hair was still matted with it, having been damp when the fight started from his earlier shower. There were a few rips in his clothing from where they had caught the brickwork and torn, small traces of blood next to some of the bigger holes and where Dante had wiped his hand on his trousers after coughing. He was glad his healing abilities prevented the large number of bruises he would rightfully have from appearing.

The shortest route back to his rooms was probably the best choice, with a shower and hiding this set of clothes with the bag of rubbish. Hopefully Patty was still asleep so he wouldn't have to explain that he'd been fighting, she probably wouldn't believe him if he said that he thought the school had provided him with something to spar against. He didn't have a better explanation though, it was probably some sort of magic to provide people with what they needed, or maybe a type of protection the school had. Placate the demon so he wouldn't attack anyone. Nah, that would probably be a bit too sensible for what he'd seen of this place so far.

He stepped outside and glanced back to watch the door disappearing. The stone wall swiftly replaced the door and Dante made a mental note to return again soon. His demonic side seemed appeased with the fight, but that would only be temporary, and was purring happily in the back of his mind.

As Dante started jogging towards the stairs Albus peered around the corner. He'd noticed the doors appear as he had walked past but was certain he had no current requirements for the room to fulfil. Out of interest he'd swiftly hidden around a corner to find who else was up at this hour of the morning and had been surprised to see Dante appear from the room looking like he'd been in a street brawl. The demon hunter didn't stay for long and sprinted towards the stairs, probably unaware Albus had seen him.

'Another thing we need to talk about on Saturday. He can not run around the school looking like that when the students are here.'

* * *

Searching for Sparda in the books had given Minerva multiple successes. She currently had four books open detailing the legend surrounding Sparda's rebellion from various viewpoints. The Lowells were generally positive about him and claimed he was a saviour of mankind, with only a short section referencing his faults. However the Blacks were negative due to Sparda closing the pathways between the two worlds and Minerva found specific spells aimed at anyone sharing Sparda's blood. It was possible at least one of these wards had been placed on the school by a Black family member who believed they were protecting others.

There were very few references to Sparda having children, but the age of the books was probably the reason despite Minerva's doubt that Dante aged like a typical human.

'I should ask Irma to order some newer books, or I could take a trip to Diagon Alley and look for some myself.'

* * *

Patty was still asleep as Dante stripped in the kitchen. He stuffed the ruined clothes into the back of one of the cupboards and pushed the cooking utensils into better positions to hide them. Hopefully he could leave a note for Flora without Patty seeing it so the evidence of his morning could be disposed of.

A second shower was required and Dante pushed open the door to the bathroom. He pulled the cord for the light and inspected himself in the mirror. His hair was matted with brick dust, making it appear grey rather than its usual white, and stuck at odd angles. He'd have to wash it again, there was no way he could get away with leaving it. A glance at the shower showed a new door had appeared whilst he'd been on his run and Dante made a mental note to thank the house elves for their efficiency.

The new shampoo he'd found under the sink smelt like chemicals and pineapples making Dante wrinkle his nose in distaste. He would have to ask Flora to get him something else which didn't upset his sense of smell so much. It seemed to work on removing the brick dust though so he couldn't complain too much about it.

"Dante?" came Patty's voice through the door.

"I'm in the shower," Dante called back. There was a pause and Dante wondered if Patty had wandered off.

"Are you ok?" Patty asked eventually.

"I'm fine." Dante replied as he shut off the water and grabbed a towel. "I reckon I deserve a hangover though." He wrapped the towel around his waist and pushed open the door to see Patty in her pyjamas. "Sorry for scaring you yesterday. I won't do it again."

Patty hugged him in response, the water still clinging to Dante soaking into her pyjamas and hair as she buried her face in his chest.

"I don't like it when you drink," she mumbled into his skin and Dante was sure a normal human would have struggled to hear her.

"I know and I'll try harder in future."

"Promise?"

"Yes." Patty continued to hold on as she tilted her head up to look at Dante's face. He looked sincere in her opinion. That soft smile he seemed to reserve for her and Lady, his eyes focused on her showing some form of adoration which Patty hadn't seen directed her way by anyone else, his hand brushing back her hair from her face as his other arm was holding her close.

The moment was broken by Dante, as usual, when his stomach growled. Patty felt herself start laughing and buried her face in his chest again.

"What? I missed dinner last night. I think I'm allowed to be hungry." Dante pushed his wet hair out of his eyes as a few strands fell forwards.

"You need to get dressed before you can have breakfast," Patty told him as she got her laughter under control.

"I don't think many people would complain about seeing me like this," Dante waved a hand to indicate his current state of only wearing the collar and a towel.

"You're a narcissist," Patty informed him.

"Nah, I just know I'm really good looking." Patty rolled her eyes and let him go.

"Get dressed. I'm going to have a shower then we can get some breakfast before going home."

* * *

By the time they made it to the Great Hall several other people, excluding Minerva, were already enjoying the plates of food. Dante felt his mouth water at the aroma of the bacon and eggs piled high on the central platters, kept warm by some magic courtesy of the house elves.

"It's good to see you join us again after your failure with the brooms yesterday," Severus welcomed Dante.

"I thought I did quite well for a muggle," Dante replied as he sat down next to the potions master, putting emphasis on his use of the word muggle. He helped himself to various cooked pieces of meat and eggs before filling a mug with coffee and cream. The house elves had obviously been paying attention when Patty had told Flora that Dante had cream in his tea and coffee, so a pot had tended to appear each morning near whichever seat Dante chose.

"A few more attempts and you might be able to fly in a straight line without falling off." Severus's lips twitched into a smirk as he sipped his own mug of black coffee.

"Don't be mean, Severus," another teacher was scolding as Dante began wolfing down his breakfast. His fight this morning had helped his appetite return it seemed and he found himself feeling fairly ravenous.

"Slow down," Patty hissed as she elbowed him in the ribs.

"I'm hungry," he told her with a shrug, swallowing his mouthful.

"You still need to chew."

Dante's retort was cut off by a teacher. "You two act as if Patty is the adult."

"He's a nightmare!" Patty exclaimed, clearly playing up to it now. "He's lazy and makes a mess!"

"But clearing up is boring." Dante smiled over his coffee cup before taking a sip.

"You are so frustrating!" Patty replied, throwing her hands up in mock exasperation. Dante chuckled at her antics and returned to eating his breakfast at a more leisurely pace.

* * *

"What time is it back home?" Patty asked as Dante finished packing a bag to take with them. He had asked Flora to pick up some wizard sweets for him to take back for the girls, as well as some wizarding books on demons that he had seen in Diagon Alley which he thought would interest them. Lady had a knack for research, probably an inherited trait that he'd never dare point out, and her collection of demon related texts was significantly greater than Dante's own had been before he suggested combining the two. Trish had followed their example and a small library had amassed in Lady's apartment since. He had made a habit of locating new books to placate Lady when she started making additional references to his debt and he suspected the second bedroom was now stacked full.

"About 5am," Dante replied, zipping up the bag and looking around for Nevan. "Where's your cat?"

"Did you tell Lady we were coming?" Patty asked as she started hunting Nevan.

"I thought we'd be a horrible surprise," Dante told her. "Lady's probably still in her apartment anyway, so the shop will be empty."

"You're going first so Lady can shoot you for not telling her we were visiting." Patty crouched down to look under the sofa. "There you are. Come here so you can meet Lady. She's really cool. Much better than Dante."

"Stop telling lies to that cat." Dante pulled the rucksack over his shoulder and turned to the fireplace. "We might as well leave now. It's still too early to visit the hospital but we can at least see what the girls have done to the shop."

The bedroom was dark but Dante's senses clearly picked out Lady curled up in his bed, using his sheets and pillows. She was still asleep, despite the noise from Dante's arrival, and snoring softly as Dante watched. He heard Patty appear and immediately slapped a hand over her mouth to prevent her waking Lady by speaking. Steering Patty out of the room, as she clutched an unhappy Nevan to her chest, Dante glanced back at the bed to check they hadn't woken Lady. She slumbered on and Dante breathed a sigh of relief. Kalina Ann was propped up next to the bed and Dante had no doubt Lady would have fired if they had woken her up.

He pulled the door shut behind them and looked down at Patty.

"You should have warned her," Patty hissed, glaring at Dante.

"She'll wake up soon and I'm sure shooting me will brighten her morning," Dante replied in a whisper. "If I had warned her she'd have to think of another reason to shoot me, rather than use the one I've helpfully provided her with."

"Your excuse is that you did this on purpose?" Patty spun around as she heard a click behind her. Trish stood at the top of the stairs, Luce trained on Dante.

"You'll wake Lady if you shoot," Dante whispered, indicating the door to his bedroom.

"Then you better go downstairs so I can shoot you without waking her," Trish replied in hushed tones. Dante appeared to pause, thinking.

"I'm happy here."

Patty glanced between the two of them, unsure who she should be trying to help. Trish had always remained distant with her, unlike Lady, but she was still fun and would happily join her and Lady on shopping trips. Dante was in trouble though for not telling Lady before they turned up, so she would help Trish shoot him, he deserved it.

"Can you make us all pancakes?" Patty asked quietly, still clutching Nevan. The cat had started struggling when Trish appeared, seemingly determined to escape the she-demon.

"You've had breakfast."

"We can have them for lunch whilst Trish and Lady have them for breakfast," Patty suggested, knowing Dante would give in.

"Fine." Patty grinned and winked at Trish as Dante started moving towards the stairs. Trish smiled in response as Dante passed her by and headed down the stairs, muttering something about bad luck with women.

"If I shoot him now, he won't make us breakfast," Trish told Patty quietly as she returned Luce to her holster. "We should wait until he's finished cooking."

"I suppose so," Patty replied as she let Nevan escape. The cat immediately followed Dante downstairs, dashing past Trish as fast as possible.

"I need to get some sleep," Trish yawned as she spoke. "Wake me when Dante's finished his pancakes though. I don't want to miss out."

Patty nodded as the blond woman wandered down the hallway to Patty's old bedroom.

'So Lady's in Dante's room and Trish is in my room. I thought they had their own places to live.'

She descended the stairs two at a time, as she had got used to doing when living in the shop, and jumped the final three to avoid the creak they made when you put weight on them. Dante was already hunting through the contents of 'his kitchen' that 'those girls' had 'filled with health food'.

"Trish is staying here as well," Patty told him as Dante finished hunting through the fridge.

"I guessed she would be if Lady was," Dante replied, opening the milk and sniffing it.

"Why are they staying here?"

"Trish always used to stay here when she was in town," Dante told her as he concluded the milk was ok to use. "Before she decided she wanted to explore the world she used to live here. That was her room before it was yours."

Patty sat on the table as Dante began mixing the ingredients he'd located in his kitchen. She had known Trish had lived with Dante in the past, enough comments had been made implying it, but that was her room and Dante was meant to be next door. That was how it worked.

Lady and Trish were allowed to visit. Lady or Trish could even stay in Dante's room, whilst Dante slept on the sofa downstairs, occasionally. They weren't meant to live with them though.

"They probably had a job which was closer to here than Lady's apartment," Dante said as Patty remained quiet. "Or Lady has decided to save some money on rent by moving in here for a while. I wouldn't blame her, that apartment was expensive, and you know Lady doesn't like spending her own money." Dante stirred in the milk as he finished speaking and put the batter on the side so he could face Patty.

"This is our home," Patty told him quietly.

"The girls know that. They will both be out of here when we come back for Summer." Dante smiled as Patty pulled him into a hug. "Why are you getting upset?"

"Because I don't want to share this place with anyone except you," Patty mumbled as she continued to hang on to Dante.

"You don't have to. I'll kick the girls out when we come back here." Dante looked down at Patty, wondering what was going to happen when Patty's mom was able to move out of the hospital. He would have his shop back, but Patty was part of this place now and Dante wasn't looking forward to the quiet and solitude he had once longed for, returning. He kind of wanted the girls to get comfy so they would stay when Patty inevitably left, but it wouldn't happen. Trish would humour him for a few weeks before leaving for an unknown destination. Lady would probably consent to getting another apartment nearby and dropping by frequently to begin with, but those visits would slowly reduce in number, eventually only being job related.

"Dante," Patty gasped and Dante immediately let go of her, realising his grip had tightened as he got lost in thoughts.

"Sorry," Dante apologised as Patty recovered her breath.

"It's ok." Patty tried to smile to reassure him, but her heavy breathing made it difficult. "You need to pay more attention to your strength," she scolded playfully, hoping Dante would make one of his inappropriate remarks in response.

"Are you sure it wasn't my handsomeness taking your breath away instead?" Dante returned as he picked up on her tone. Patty rolled her eyes as Dante turned away to start cooking the pancakes, satisfied Patty was unharmed.

* * *

Patty was relieved when Lady pushed open the kitchen door. Dante had been suggesting Patty should go and wake the girls up whilst he continued cooking pancakes, but waking the devil hunters was a potentially lethal task if done wrong. Patty had been in the process of pointing out the risks when Lady made an appearance, looking half asleep and surprised to find them in the kitchen.

"When did you arrive?" she asked, rubbing sleep out of her eyes and making herself some coffee.

"Half an hour ago," Dante replied, fetching the cream out of the fridge for Lady's coffee.

"I told Dante he should have warned you," Patty complained, glaring at Dante's back.

"The pancakes will start making up for it," Lady told them as she finished making her coffee. "But you've got a long way to go."

Dante shrugged and continued cooking.

"What is England like?" Lady asked as she turned to Patty.

"The school is actually in Scotland but we spent a week in London." Patty grinned as Dante flipped a pancake. "London was awesome! We stayed in this wizard street with Hagrid and this other guy called Harry. He's my new friend and is starting at Hogwarts this year as well."

Dante started tuning the two of them out as Patty spoke about the different shops she had found in Diagon Alley and the many things Dante had done wrong during the two weeks since they had left. He heard mentions of flying and Dante's sword lesson for the teaching staff, as well as the collar he'd been given to wear. Patty had said something about him being a pet and Dante glanced to see Lady's reaction. Her eyebrows had lowered slightly in an expression Dante recognised as concealed annoyance, but she kept her smile on her face and laughed along with Patty about the comparison between Dante and her new cat.

"Breakfast is ready," Dante announced as he finished a fourth pancake. "One of you needs to wake up Trish."

* * *

Minerva pushed open the door to Flourish and Blotts. It was fairly busy inside with numerous wizarding families struggling to locate the required books for the start of their new school term. Minerva recognised a few children from her classes and noticed some students pointing her out to their parents.

"That's Professor McGonagall," a mousy haired girl was saying to her mother as Minerva stepped further into the shop.

One of the shop assistants indicated she would help Minerva as soon as she finished helping a muggle father with the wizarding currency. It would permanently impress Minerva how much work the shopkeepers did at this time of year to ensure muggleborns were catered for. Often this was the first introduction they had to the wizarding community and it was imperative they were made to feel welcome. Minerva stepped towards the group and recognised the book selection for the Hogwarts first years. The bushy haired girl stood next to her father was already flipping through the pages of one of the books as he counted out galleons to pay for the selection.

"Are you looking forward to September?" The shop assistant asked the girl as she waited for the gentleman to finish counting.

"Yes. It all sounds so fascinating and I am looking forward to learning so many new things." The girl smiled as she looked up at the shop assistant.

"I'm sure you will have lots of opportunities to read about everything. With such a passion for knowledge I expect you'll be in Ravenclaw, like I was, and will find other people to help you choose good books to read." The shop assistant smiled broadly and handed over the father's change. "Of course you might be able to recommend a few books for this young witch to start with, Professor."

"I would advise starting with the books on the syllabus and checking the school library for supplementary texts," Minerva replied with a smile. She looked down at the book the bushy haired young girl currently had open and recognised it as 'The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection', the Dark Arts textbook Professor Quirrell had chosen to teach from. "However it may be wise to start with a couple of books on wizard history to help you understand some of the culture and mannerisms which may not be shared with your society." A glance at the local tables of books indicated a few books which may prove helpful. "I suggest you read these two to understand recent changes in our society and this one may provide some more background on the development of our society. Can you add these books to my account?" Minerva turned to the shop assistant and placed 'A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry', 'Modern Magical History' and 'Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century' on the counter.

"Of course, Professor," the shop assistant quickly waved her wand over the three books to record them as sold.

"Thank you," the muggle father said quickly. "I assume you are an academic. Due to your title."

"I am one of the teachers at Hogwarts," Minerva replied before turning to the girl again, "and I look forward to having you in my class next month."

"I plan to work hard and l am sure I can catch up with the students who have already had some magical training."

"I'm sure you will. It was nice to meet you both."

"Of course." He extended his hand and Minerva shook it. "Come on, Hermione, we still need to buy everything else on your list."

"How can I help you, Professor?" The shop assistant asked after the father and daughter had left.

"I was hoping to find some books on demons. Preferably new editions on demon identification or hierarchy."

"We've recently had lots of interest in demons and Simon ordered a few new titles in. Having that devil hunter turn up really started a trend and now everyone wants to know more about them." The girl chuckled and blushed slightly. "I doubt many of the girls who bought them have actually read any of the pages though."

"Please may I have a look at the books?"

"Of course. I'll just fetch them."

'Did he flirt with everyone whilst he was here?' Minerva thought with annoyance. 'He's meant to be keeping a low profile, so he flirts with all the women in Diagon Alley and gets them interested in demons. I hope no one has read the books and worked out who he is.'

"Here they are. We have the most recent editions of 'A nice and accurate guide of the demonic world which exists beyond the plane', 'Dancing with the Demoness' by Lockhart which is my favourite, 'Charted History of Devils' and 'The Dangers of Demonic Summoning: A Complete Guide to the Potential Dangers of Summoning and Dealing with Demonic Forces'. Simon mentioned getting in a few more titles soon as Florean keeps asking him to expand his selection."

"Florean?"

"The guy who runs the ice cream store. He was the one who started the rush to buy books on demons. Some of the girls overheard him and Dante discussing demons in his shop and assumed Dante would spend time with them if they talked about demons as well. It didn't work. Florean keeps buying new demon books though and I was told he's been chatting with Ollivander in the pub about them."

"Thank you. I'll take these two and please can you keep me updated with any new books you get in concerning demons."

"Of course, Professor." The young witch totalled up the bill with a smirk and a wink. "Have fun with the new Head of Security."

* * *

The pancakes were munched happily in the kitchen, the girls using a myriad of toppings whilst Dante cooked.

"I got you two a few presents," Dante told Lady and Trish as he finished pouring the last of the mixture into a frying pan. "I saw them whilst we were in London and thought you may find them interesting."

"Depending on what they are, I may forgive you for not warning us," Lady replied.

"I've already got an appointment today, so you can escape my wrath, Dante. Lady you'll have to grade his presents for me." Trish licked her fingers before washing them in the sink. "I may see you later," she told them with a small wave as she left the room.

"So what's the plan?" Lady asked with a smile as she sipped her second mug of coffee.

"We want to visit my mom," Patty told her as she moved the plates into the sink for washing.

"I'll wash everything later. We could try driving there now and see if they will let us spend the day. I'm sure if we explain that you're heading to a boarding school in the UK they would let us have some extra time."

"I assume my car is still working?" Dante asked as he finished off his last pancake.

"I haven't touched it," Lady told him. "Trish and I have been using our bikes rather than taking your baby out where it might get a scratch."

"Men and their cars," Patty muttered under her breath.

"Maybe you'll find wizards are different," Lady replied with a smile.

"Maybe. I don't think any of the teachers have cars," Patty said thoughtfully. "I think they tend to use brooms and the floo."

"Rubeus mentioned owning a motorbike, but there isn't anywhere at the school to keep a car," Dante informed them.

"If you want your car whilst you're in the UK, you'll have to get them to give you somewhere to keep it." Lady smiled as she spoke.

"I doubt its worth getting the car taken to the UK. I wouldn't be able to drive it anywhere near the school anyway." Dante finished his last mouthful of pancake and smiled at the other two. "Shall we go then?"

* * *

"What can I get for you?" Florean asked happily as Minerva stepped up to the counter. The shop was empty which Minerva was thankful for, she didn't fancy having her planned conversation with any potential eavesdroppers.

"What do you recommend?"

"Strawberry sundaes have been very popular recently, but I remember you enjoy toffee and caramel."

"You have a very good memory, Florean. Please may I have two scoops of caramel and toffee."

"Of course." Florean quickly served the ice cream in a bowl and took the offered coins in exchange.

"I understand you have taken an interest in demons," Minerva commented as she sat at a table near the counter.

"I had the good fortune to spend several hours with Hogwarts' new employee. We discussed their involvement in the witch trials. He had some very interesting theories about how demons could have been responsible for some of the reports of witchcraft." Florean smiled and stepped around the counter to sit opposite Minerva.

"From my understanding of demons, it's possible." Minerva took a mouthful of ice cream as she regarded Florean. It was possible they had genuinely only spoken about the witch trials and Florean had no idea Dante was part demon, let alone potentially the son of a demon rebel who had fought for humanity. "I've been reading a few of Hogwarts books on demons and just came in to London to find some more." Minerva indicated the two books she had placed on the table next to her. "Have you got any suggestions for other books I should look up?"

"This is one of the books Dante suggested was fairly accurate," Florean replied, indicating the 'A nice and accurate guide of the demonic world which exists beyond the plane'. "He glanced through my copy and pointed out a couple of updates which are needed, but overall he claimed it was one of the better books he'd found on demons."

'So Dante considered this book to be accurate? This is the updated version of the one I found him mentioned in. Florean must know who Dante is if he's read this book.'

"Thank you. I've already read a previous edition which Hogwarts had in the library. There was a very interesting section in that one which I found myself rereading a few times." Florean chuckled as Minerva finished speaking.

"I showed that section to Dante and he grabbed the book, read it, then confirmed it was talking about him. To think I've had the son of Sparda in my shop and I can't use it as advertising." Florean chuckled to himself again as Minerva smiled back at him. "It's nice to have someone to talk to about it. I expect Dante asked you to keep it a secret as well?"

"His less than human status is only known by a few staff members. I assume you understand the potential problems if he's discovered?"

"Of course," Florean waved off the comment. "The ministry is hardly supportive of half breeds with non-threatening ancestry. Demonic parentage is an almost guaranteed trip to Azkaban. If they find out about Dante's brother I expect they'll execute him on the spot. Has Dante spoken to you about it? I'd love to know more, but didn't have any idea how to ask."

"Sorry, I don't know much about his brother, except that they were twins."

"There's a section in here about them," Florean pointed to the book. "Didn't Dante recommend this one to you?"

"He didn't pick out any books. I decided to do my own research," Minerva replied as she finished up her ice cream. "Thank you for the ice cream and the additional information. It was a very informative conversation I hope we get a chance to have another discussion later on."

"Professor?" Florean asked quietly as Minerva rose to leave.

"Yes, Florean?"

"Did you know who Dante was before you came to my shop, or have I just revealed a secret I promised to keep hidden?" Florean looked a little forlorn and Minerva almost felt bad for using him to confirm her hunch.

"I suspected, but I was unsure. He had already told me several things, including the name of his dead twin brother and that his father was a demon and his mother a muggle."

"Did Dante say that Vergil is dead?" Florean asked as he turned to face Minerva.

"He implied it. He referred to his brother in the past tense."

"That book states Vergil chose to head into hell. I think that is a fair reason to refer to someone in the past tense without them being dead." The door opened signalling an end to their conversation and Florean hurried to serve his new customer.

* * *

The hospital were surprisingly cooperative in Dante's opinion. He assumed Lady had told the staff about Patty and Dante moving to the UK, making them more inclined to be lenient with the limits on visiting times. The nurse had lead them outside to a seating area in the garden before rushing off to locate Nina.

Sunlight glinted off of Lady's sunglasses as she looked across the gardens from her seat on one of the benches. Patty had sat down next to her and was now swinging her legs whilst Dante wandered around the patio area.

"Patty! Oh my darling," Nina called as soon as she stepped outside with the nurse. "I didn't expect such a wonderful surprise!"

"Sorry about not calling ahead," Dante apologised as Patty jumped up and ran to hug Nina.

"Please try to warn us in future," the nurse reprimanded. "I'll leave you alone, but if you need anything just come and find a member of staff."

"Thank you. We'll let you know," Lady replied as she glanced over her glasses at the nurse.

"I've missed you, mom."

"I've missed you too, and I want to hear all about your adventures."

"We should let them have some privacy," Lady suggested as she stood up.

"Fancy a walk?" Dante asked and nodded towards the gardens laid out in front of them.

"Why not? Lead the way."

The gardens were still fairly empty so it wasn't hard for Dante and Lady to find somewhere for a private chat.

"So you're collared?" Lady started with, removing her sunglasses to look Dante in the eye.

"Yeah, not a very subtle hint is it?"

"It really isn't." Lady looked back towards Patty and her mother who were excitedly discussing something together. "I don't like it, but it's for them." Lady's gaze returned to Dante. "But if anything happens to you I don't care. You throw in this job and you come back here immediately. They can keep their money and education. We can get money elsewhere and I'm sure there are American schools Patty could go to which will teach her just as well."

"I didn't know you cared about me so much," Dante said with a smile, trying to defuse Lady's rage at the wizards and witches.

"You may be an idiot, but I don't want to see you hurt and used by others."

'It's a bit late for that,' Dante thought but resisted saying.

They stood in silence, each reluctant to break it.

"I was hoping you could do some research for me. I plan to look in the school library when I get a chance but I don't want the other staff to know what I'm doing."

"What kind of research?" Lady asked carefully. 'Research' could have many meanings when coming from Dante and it was highly plausible he was trying to break the tension still left by their earlier conversation topic.

"There was a stone I was asked to look after whilst we were in London. It was about this big," Dante demonstrate with his hands, "red, almost like cut glass, and felt as if it contained some kind of power. I hid it in my luggage as soon as I returned to my room to avoid the temptation of trying to use it. Albus Dumbledore has it currently, if that is any help."

"Do you think it's demonic?" Lady asked, mentally running through all the artefacts she could remember which matched the description.

"No, it felt fairly inert at first, but after a while it seemed to adjust to match me and I unconsciously knew it could amplify my abilities if I let it." Dante glanced at Lady as he sighed. "I was tempted to take it and I know it is still somewhere in that castle. I still could take it."

"I will try and find out what I can, but with this description don't expect much luck." Lady looked up at Dante's face. "Is this what is bothering you?"

"Not entirely." Dante took a deep breath and shut his eyes.

'It's now or never. Lady is the only one I trust enough with this.'

"I heard Verge."

"It was probably your imagination. Stress does strange things to people," Lady dismissed. She didn't want to believe he could return, but Dante wouldn't lie about this.

"That's what I thought at first." Dante made eye contact with Lady. "Then I heard him again and again."

"Can you hear him now?" She wasn't sure what answer she'd prefer to hear.

"No. At first it was just the occasional sentence and I thought I was imagining it, but yesterday we had a conversation."

"You do remember what he did, don't you? He tried to end the world, Dante. He killed people. He deserves to be in hell."

"No one deserves what he got." Dante looked away as he felt annoyed at Lady's inability to forgive Vergil. She had her reasons to hate him, but Verge had paid the ultimate price for his mistakes and Dante had believed he had been freed from his torment.

"Has he changed?" Lady asked quietly.

"I don't know, but he's not strong enough to do anything. He can't even talk to me unless I'm near a power source."

"Like that stone?"

"Yeah, just like that stone."

"I'll see if I can find out anything, but unless you can prove Vergil's changed I'm not going to help him come back."

"I miss him." Dante looked at Patty and her mom, who were still engrossed in their own conversation. "Not the power obsessed, bastard you met that day. The real Vergil. The one who used to help me with my homework and dare me to do stupid things. The one who wanted to save our mom so badly he became what you met."

"That still doesn't excuse what he did."

"Nothing will ever excuse that, but he still has feelings inside. He could have killed both of us that day, but he didn't. I know it's illogical to trust him, but I want to believe there's some good left."

"Promise me, you will contact me before you do anything Vergil tells you to do." Lady grabbed his jacket to force him to look towards her. "We don't know his motives, or even if it is really him. It could be a demon trying to trick you."

"If he asks me to do anything in the future, I promise to contact you before I do it."

"Good. You should use the phone next time though. Appearing in the kitchen randomly will get rather creepy."

"I need to ask for a phone. I wasn't given one and I don't think they're a standard thing for wizards or witches. They use owls to deliver messages."

"You are not sending me post by owl. I hate those flying bags of feathers."

"What's wrong with owls?"

"They sit in trees, completely silent, then suddenly screech and startle me so I miss my shot and alert the demons to my presence. Stupid birds."

"You probably scared it," Dante told her whilst trying not to laugh.

"I don't care. It made my job a lot harder. It should have kept its stupid beak shut. Why was it even that close to a pack of hell hounds?"

"Maybe it wasn't an owl. Maybe you missed a demon." Dante suggested with a smirk.

"I still hate owls."

"I am definitely going to get you a pet owl for Christmas."

"Don't you dare." Lady glared at him as Dante gave in to the laughter. Lady responded by kneeing him in the stomach.

* * *

"I've been helping out in the greenhouses," Patty was telling her mom as they noticed Dante and Lady start fighting across the lawn.

"I think the two of them are having fun," Nina commented as Lady managed to throw Dante to the floor. To the educated watcher it was obvious Dante was moderating his strength to ensure Lady's safety. "Has Dante found anyone to spar with at Hogwarts?"

"No. He gave some of the teachers a sword lesson, but it was only one and he hasn't been fighting with anyone."

"He might need to find someone. Are there any teachers you can talk to who might be able to fight with him?"

"I suppose Professor McGonagall might know what to do, but why does Dante need someone to fight with?"

"Look at him." Patty obediently looked across at Dante who had thrown Lady backwards. "That's him when he's happy and relaxed. Fighting is what he lives for. Its how he relaxes and maintains his sanity." Nina sighed as she wondered how much to share with Patty. Her family records about demonic enslavement had been enlightening and she suspected many of the observations applied to Dante as well. "His demonic urges may get stronger when he's stressed." 'His demonic nature is probably fairly violent considering he uses fighting to subdue it. I don't think I would want to witness his demonic side take over. It would be a terminal experience I expect. My family learnt the hard way what happens when demons aren't allowed to pursue their own desires at all, I don't want to witness that from Dante.'

"I think he is stressed," Patty's voice sounded distant and Nina could hear the sadness held within it.

"Why do you think that?"

"He got drunk yesterday. He hasn't done that in months after I asked him not to." Patty shivered and leaned into her mom's embrace. "It sounds weird, but when he's drunk it's as if there's something else looking out through his eyes. I'm not sure if that thing is a nice guy, or a meanie, but he isn't my Dante."

"It might be his demonic side showing through. Dante cares about all of us, and I'm sure all of him cares about all of us, but it can be scary to see beyond the human camouflage."

* * *

"I have one last thing to ask you," Dante told Lady as she tried to recover her breath.

"You haven't given me enough research already?"

"This is just a question, not research." Dante smiled as Lady nodded for him to continue. "There's a kid, the one Patty was telling you about earlier, called Harry. We met him in Diagon Alley and he's the one Albus wants me to protect."

"Ok, so Patty likes him and he sounds like a decent kid. Patty's fourteen now, she's allowed to go and fall in lust with guys without you judging her choices."

"No nothing like that. I don't think either of them consider each other as anything more than friends right now." Dante dismissed the idea. He hadn't noticed anything to suggest more than friendship between the two. "My problem is with some of the things he said. He was left with his aunt and uncle after his parents were killed and it sounds like they really hate him. I don't know whether to try and get the kid away from them. They're his family and what if I make it worse by taking him away from them?"

"It sounds like you're starting an orphanage," Lady told him with a slight laugh. "First you take in Patty, and now this Harry kid. You'll turn into a soccer mom."

Dante chuckled and shook his head as Lady started laughing. She managed to gasp something about Dante waiting for kids at the school gate between breaths as her laughter calmed down.

"It's not good for a kid to be living with people who hate him, but are you sure that's the case? This kid might have just been in a bad mood with his parents when you met him, or even lying."

"It's possible," Dante replied, glancing back towards Patty and Nina. "He did seem awfully skinny though and acted as if he'd never had a decent meal in his life. That isn't something you'd fake."

"Probably not," Lady agreed, following his gaze. "I'll look up the options for adoption. If the kid really is being abused he can join our unconventional family."

"Thanks, Lady."

"I don't like the idea of letting the kid suffer." Lady dismissed Dante's thanks with a wave and turned to watch Patty enthusiastically explaining something to her mother. "So did you really fake falling off a broomstick?"

Dante groaned as Lady smirked.

* * *

Lunch was brought out to the group by one of the nurses. It consisted of a couple of plates of sandwiches, some crisps and a jug of fruit juice. Dante felt disappointed by the selection but decided to make do with a couple of the chicken sandwiches, he could always get some more food later if he was still hungry. The nurse handed Nina a couple of pills in a small paper cup and waited until she had swallowed them before leaving the group to their lunch.

"I assume Patty has been telling you all about the school," Dante said as he sat on one of the nearby benches.

"It is very exciting. I'm glad she's getting this opportunity." Nina smiled as she sipped her fruit juice. The taste of the pills still bit through the apple flavour but it was slowly diminishing.

"I'm almost jealous of you," Lady told Patty with a smile. "But I wouldn't want to have to put up with Dante."

"He is very annoying," Patty agreed.

"Don't worry, once term starts I'm sure it will be easy to avoid me," Dante told her with a small smile. He wasn't sure what to expect once the hallways were full of children and lessons began.

"I'll have to check up on you regularly to make sure you haven't done anything stupid." Patty sighed as she looked over at Dante. "You always find ways to do stupid things and I'm sure you will manage to get yourself into some sort of trouble if I don't check on you."

"He wouldn't be our Dante if he behaved himself," Lady chuckled as she helped herself to a pack of crisps and some sandwiches.

* * *

Florean looked over the letter again. It was the third attempt he'd made to try and compose an apology for talking to Professor McGonagall. He had no idea how Dante would feel about her knowing, but he had promised not to tell anyone about Dante's parentage. The promise was broken. He should have kept his mouth shut but it had been exciting to have someone to discuss it with.

'Dear Dante'

Too formal.

'Hello Dante'

Wrong.

'Dante'

Much better.

'I'm so sorry'

No.

'Sorry for telling Professor McGonagall about your family.'

No, he couldn't put anything in the letter about Dante's identity encase someone else saw it. He would have to rely on Dante returning to Diagon Alley and he would apologise then. If Minerva spoke to Dante it was likely Dante would return soon with a desire to talk to him anyway. Florean erased the letter and picked up his cloak to head to the pub for a much needed drink.

* * *

The dice skidded to a halt on the table and Dante shifted his counter the indicated number of spaces. It landed on a snake.

"Back to the bottom, Dante," Lady told him with a smile. They'd been given a few board games to play by the nurse who collected the lunch and Dante was following his usual pattern of loosing. Patty was proving her natural ability to win any game and had already won a few rounds of ludo and connect four.

"I give up," Dante announced as Patty slid his counter back towards the start again.

"Let's play another game," Lady suggested as she surveyed the selection sat on the table. She recognised most of them and expected they would have missing pieces from frequent use by various patients and their visitors.

"Ok, what about chess?" Patty asked as she pulled it out of the stack.

"Why don't you and Lady play that together whilst Dante and I have a chat?" Nina asked.

"Sounds good," Lady agreed as she finished packing away the snakes and ladders game.

* * *

"So what did you want to discuss?" Dante asked as he walked slowly with Nina. She had her arm loosely around his waist to support herself and leaned into Dante's own arm that was braced across her shoulders.

"How are you coping with the wizards?"

"They have some interesting ideas about demons," Dante replied as he looked ahead to direct them around the garden.

"There are very few wizarding families which have investigated demons," Nina told him with a sigh. "Most of them dismiss demons as black magic and avoid them. My family was one of the few to look into using demons for anything other than power." She glanced up at Dante, wanting to know what the half-demon was thinking and wishing she knew him well enough to have an honest conversation about his experiences. Nina wasn't ignorant enough to believe her family history played no role in Dante's opinion of her and she was lucky he was willing to help her due to Patty.

'What would you think of me, dad? Walking with the son of Sparda, wondering what he thinks of me. You'd probably ask me why I haven't bound him to serve me.'

"Is there anything you want to ask me about the wizarding world?" Nina asked.

"Not currently," Dante glanced down at her. "You don't need to worry about Patty. She's got people at the school who care about her and will train her."

"It's not her I'm worried about," Nina told him truthfully. "She's already making friends and enjoying herself. Patty has always been a strong and independent woman who will make the most of wherever she is." Their gazes met. "You are not a wizard and are stepping into their world. In my experience wizards are not very welcoming to those who are different, and I can't imagine many people more different than you are."

"I'll be fine," Dante said dismissively. He'd already overheard enough of the teachers to be well aware that he was not welcomed into the group.

"Will your demon be fine?" Nina asked quietly, watching Dante's gaze snap back to her own as they stopped walking.

"All of me will be fine," Dante replied quietly, his dislike of her choice of conversation clear in his voice and the slight flecks of red that were present in his eyes. The casual observer wouldn't have noticed the change but Nina had been looking out for it as a sign of the half-demon's discomfort.

"If you need me to talk to anyone to make sure…" Nina trailed off as she could tell she was starting to push too far at something. They were quiet for another minute before Dante broke it.

"Shall we see how the chess match is going?"

* * *

Minerva leaned back in her chair, staring at the new book which was open at the section Florean had spoken about. The chapter contained information about Temen-Ni-Gru and indicated Vergil as the villain who had attempted to break the seals between the human and demon worlds. The author had made no attempt to understand Vergil's motives and Minerva found herself echoing Florean's desire to know more. Dante must know what had made his brother do something so reckless, even if he disagreed with the choice.

Dante hadn't been in his office when she returned from Diagon Alley. He also hadn't been at dinner. One of the other teachers mentioned he was taking Patty to visit her mother and should be back by the next day.

She had wanted to talk to him when she returned from London. Confront him with his identity and demand more information. Everything she had read at that point indicated he had more loyalty to humans than demons and had been raised with human values. Since reading about Vergil her confidence had been shaken a little, but the section indicated Dante had stood against his brother. Dante was definitely on the side of humanity.

Should she tell him that she knew? Or should she keep it quiet and not tell anyone?

Out of loyalty to Albus she should tell him what she had discovered, but Dante had as much right to privacy as anyone else and it was his choice if he revealed that to the headmaster. Minerva had already invaded his privacy without his permission and telling others would exacerbate it.

She wouldn't say anything, to anyone, but she would continue to research just encase Dante proved dangerous.

* * *

Patty was dozing on the sofa back in the shop as Dante handed the presents to Lady.

Nevan had been curled up on the desk chair when they returned and was now clasped loosely to Patty's chest as she snored quietly. There was no evidence of Trish returning and Dante suspected he would be returning to the UK without saying goodbye to the blond demon.

"What did Nina want?" Lady asked softly after she was certain Patty had nodded off. She glanced through the second book Dante had presented her with and put it on the desk to inspect properly later on.

"She's concerned that I won't stay in control," Dante replied as he handed the third and final book over.

"It's not surprising, and if Patty mentioned they have you collared..." Lady glanced over to the sofa again, worried Patty might wake up.

"I'm sure I could escape if I needed to." Dante reached into his pocket to withdraw the collar. It looked inert when just sat in his hands like now, but the power held within the strip of leather and metal went beyond its components. "We should head back to the school."

"You can stay, if you want to."

"Patty's already asleep," Dante shook his head. "We can't stay." He lifted the collar to his neck and fixed it in place, his demon stirring slightly in annoyance at the acceptance of the situation from his human side.

"Be careful," Lady told him as she watched him put on the collar. Once seeing it in position the reality of Dante's servitude was clear, he was definitely not considered as an employee by whoever had chosen the collar.

"Come on, Patty, time to go back to the castle." Dante said quietly as he bent down to pick Patty up from the sofa. Nevan wriggled free and Lady picked up the cat to bring upstairs with them. "Can you bring my bag as well?"

"Of course. Is there anything else you want to take with you?" Lady asked as she followed them upstairs.

"No, I think we have everything."

* * *

Hopefully the next chapter will be up fairly shortly but I can't make any promises.

Date: 05/04/16


	7. Chapter 6

First off, sorry for how long this has taken to post. Health and housing related changes meant free time to write and post has been lacking - large parts of this story have been written on public transport and between various meetings so far, which has affected the flow quite badly. It took me a long time to stop it feeling like this chapter has been written in small chunks.

Secondly I have been loving a tumbler called 'the setup wizard' which I recommend to you all. There are some jokes which only appeal to people who work with IT, enjoy computer games and sci fi, but in general it's pretty accessible to anyone who is at least a mild Harry Potter fan. I shared it with a couple of people in my office, but sadly the American English was a bit of a barrier for quite a few jokes for them.

Thirdly, as stated earlier my health isn't great and I've had some housing issues so I really can't estimate when I'll next have a chance to update. My health is currently deteriorating enough to start looking at the options for suspension from working to recover, but I can't really afford to do that again. Ah well, it'll work out somehow and at least my current boss is aware that I'm not faking it when I say I can't leave my house for a few days. Screw career progression and success, I'll take just being able to get up each morning and leave my house!

Finally the warnings: This chapter contains fairly explicit mentions of PTSD and drinking to excess. Statements about participating in one night stands (nothing graphic, but explicit statements about it occurring). A few statements taken from one of my friend's vegan rants and, depending on how you view it, racism or speciesism. I feel I kind of should apologise for how I am writing Albus, I love him as a character and feel he is making some horrible decisions that have to be made despite how much they cost him and those around him. He can see the use for having Dante on side, but doesn't know how to do it and has no idea how much trust he can place in him. There is also, finally, an explanation for why Trish is avoiding Nina and not as close to Dante as she used to be, but this involves intolerance towards certain groups of people.

* * *

"Did you have a good day?" Trish asked as she closed the shop doors behind her. Lady was curled up in one of Dante's old coats on the sofa, whilst reading through various books spread around her. It wasn't an unusual occurrence, the heating in Devil May Cry was notorious for failing at random times and Dante was too much of a cheapskate to get it fixed. The human occupants tended to feel the lower temperatures far more than the other members of the group and had taken to wrapping themselves up in the large collection of coats stored in Dante's cupboards.

"It was nice to see them both," Lady replied as she flipped open another book. "Dante asked me to look up a few things for him."

"So I see," Trish said as she shuffled over some of the hardbacks to sit on the opposite sofa. She glanced at the research books and noticed they were opened on pages about stones and gems. "What is a bezoar?"

"Apparently it's a stone which can protect you from any poison. They're found in goats, though I have no idea why." Lady didn't glance up from her current book. "But I don't think that's the stone Dante was talking about."

"Dante asked you to look up information about magic stones?" Trish asked as her interest was piqued. She picked up another book and started reading aloud. "'Adder stones protect against various illnesses and ill intent, whilst granting the user the ability to see through disguises.' Does Dante need protection from something?"

"No, he was given a stone to look after temporarily and wants to find out what it was. He said it was red and glass like, gave off a sense of power, but he was sure it wasn't demonic in origin. If you hadn't decided to hide today we might have some more information to search with." Lady looked up over the top of the book to see the blond demon flinch slightly at the accusation. "I've ignored your avoidance of Nina so far, but I deserve an explanation. When it was me and Dante visiting her I could put up with you running away, but I can't keep doing it alone without a good reason."

Trish dropped her gaze to the table. "Let me open a bottle of wine for us first."

* * *

"Patty and Nina are harmless," Lady complained as she sipped at her glass. "We're helping them so why would they try and bind you or Dante?"

"They're Lowells. It's what they do," Trish hissed back. She'd downed her first glass of wine swiftly and was partially through her second, having attempted to explain her distrust to Lady. It had been unlikely the human hunter would understand her reticence. Dante had been hard enough to talk to about Patty, but the half demon shared her uncertainty of Nina. The Lowell family were demon hunters, maybe some of the nicer ones and potentially willing to treat demons under their control with respect, but that did not set Trish at ease. After discovering Nina's true identity Trish and Dante had both felt the urge to flee, but Dante's bond with Patty overruled his immediate fear and he remained in the shop. Trish had maintained her distance until Nina's hospitalisation, joining in with jobs outside the city limits and a couple of phone calls with Dante to try and persuade him Patty wasn't worth the risk.

"It may be what the family used to do, but Patty's been living with Dante so I doubt she'd even consider the idea of trying to control either of you." Lady's mind brought up the image of Dante replacing the collar around his neck again and she picked up her glass to disguise the small shudder at the memory. She had been planning to mention it to Trish, but it would have to wait until she didn't think the blond would try to commit murder to free Dante. "Nina is in no position to train Patty how to bind demons and she certainly can't do it herself whilst in the hospital." 'Unless she could get help from someone and I've already smuggled in several items for her that she claimed were used for demonic protection. For all I know she could use those things, and anything she asked Dante for, to try and control a demon. Unless she was planning to target Dante, I expect she'd tell me her plans though. She knows enough about me to request my help.'

"They may both be unable to right now, but that won't always be the case. Patty will learn and take guidance from her mother. No amount of trust and help from Dante is going to change the fact that Patty and Nina are Lowells who actively research demons and how to control them." Trish drained the wine glass and reached for the bottle to pour herself a third. "If Dante or I gave you a reason to, you would kill us. We all understand that and we've been honest with you about some of the less than human aspects of our psyche." Trish paused as she sipped her new glass. Lady recalled several conversations which had made her remember what her co-workers really were. It was easy to forget until something brought the reality of working with the demons back into focus. The preternatural reflexes and senses were regularly on display whilst they were working and no longer held any fascination, (jealousy yes, but not the amazement she had experienced when first seeing them in action) but it was the events when they weren't working which reminded her the most.

Dante's eyes shifting when he got emotional.

Trish's descriptions of 'playing' with some of the people she had taken home in the past for one night stands.

Both of their cravings for violence and destruction.

Lady pulled the coat tighter as Trish's look turned predatory for a moment before returning to her usual smile. She had seen that look directed towards people in the bar and always turned the other way when Trish approached them. Dante had referred to the activity as hunting and advised Lady not to get in the way if she noticed it happening in the future, he would deal with Trish if she took the hunt too far.

"You knew I was a demon hunter when you approached me. We even fought each other. Why would you trust me and not Patty?" Lady let go of the coat with one hand as she reached for her wine glass again.

"We do the same job. I didn't trust you at first, but when I saw the way you and Dante spoke to each other I realised we would be able to work together. You have sworn to defend humanity from devils who wish them harm, the same as me. We both kill those devils out of our own free will."

"The Lowells are doing the same thing, and from everything Nina has told me she follows that family tradition. She-" Trish cut her off.

"We use our guns and other weapons to kill them. The Lowells use magic and demons they have already forced to serve them. To you, I am a fellow hunter. To them, I am a weapon." Trish held Lady's gaze. "That is why I don't trust them." Lady blinked and tried to focus her thoughts. It still felt illogical and she wanted to grab Trish and shake her until she agreed to have a conversation with Nina. However the blond haired demon was definitely disturbed by the situation and thinking back over the interactions between Dante and Nina it had seemed the half demon was at least uncomfortable. He had joked about it when Lady had asked him, but the comment about demons and alchemists not being friends no longer seemed as funny.

"Dante doesn't trust them either, does he?" Lady asked quietly. The answer felt important, like something which could change her future and who was in it. Trish looked down at the table as if she was considering what answer she should give.

"Dante loves Patty. He trusts her completely. But Nina," Trish drained her wine glass. "He doesn't trust her at all. When we found out who she was we wanted to run away. Dante only stayed for Patty. We spoke about the risks and Dante believes they are worth it for Patty. I think Dante is worth staying in the city for, but it doesn't mean I agree with his decision. I fear this disagreement has lost the friendship we used to have. We've been distant ever since he decided to stay." Lady noticed the tears begin to form at the corners of Trish's eyes and tried to think of something to say to cheer up the demoness. 'Even devils may cry at the fear of having lost someone they love.'

"I'm sure Dante's just being a jerk because he thinks you were insulting Patty. You know how he gets when people are rude about her. He's going to turn into one of those dads who scare off all their daughter's boyfriends because he doesn't believe they're good enough for his perfect little darling." Lady smiled as Trish chuckled, probably at the mental image of Dante interrogating a teenager about his intentions with Patty. Trish stood up and reached for the glasses and wine bottle.

"I'll make us some coffee and help you look for this stone."

* * *

"It says here that there is one in existence," Trish commented. "Dante would have noticed more than a bit of power from it though. Something capable of producing the elixir of life has to be really powerful."

"He said it didn't react to him at first but seemed to align to his power. I think this stone might do that." Lady looked down at the books they had open. Several pages detailed the myths surrounding the philosopher's stone and its uses. Some reports claimed it could do everything from create life to transform anything into precious metals. One book mentioned the creation of such a stone required human souls to provide the immense energy the stone contained.

"I still think Dante would have sensed the power it contains more. This stone is meant to be the most powerful gem in existence. Why aren't there people fighting over it and demons trying to steal it? It doesn't make sense."

"People can't have known it was there," Lady said quietly as her eyes covered the section on human sacrifice which one book had suggested was a method to create the stone. 'How many people were killed in the pursuit of this thing?! It's horrific! How can anyone desire to live after killing so many people to make it?'

"You need to go to bed. We have a job in the morning and I can't do this one alone," Trish stood up and indicated Lady should leave the books alone now. Sleep was required.

* * *

"I'm sorry we haven't had many chances to talk since you arrived." Albus opened the drawer in his desk to offer Dante a lemon drop. "I understand you are getting used to your surroundings and many of the teachers found the sword lesson you gave very informative."

"Thanks," Dante replied as he accepted a lemon drop. He leaned back in the chair and glanced around the office in what he hoped was a bored manner.

'It's in his desk,' Vergil's voice said in his head.

'Are you planning to get me to steal it?' Dante replied as he clicked the lemon drop against his teeth.

'Not currently.'

"Is there anything else you require?" Albus asked as he glanced over his spectacles at Dante.

"Not currently," Dante kept the smile to himself as he copied his brother's words. "The house elves have been very helpful in making sure me and Patty have anything we need."

"They are very helpful creatures. I am always impressed by their dedication to their work." Albus smiled and lifted his cup of tea to his lips. "However they did tell me that you had caused some property damage. I assume this is not something you intend to make a habit of."

"It's a bit late to stop that." Dante smirked and lifted his feet onto the desk as he leaned back in the chair. "Surely the American Congress told you about my inability to preserve personal property."

"They mentioned your destructive nature whilst working. However I do not expect you to break this castle's walls or fixtures without a valid reason." Albus allowed his eyes to narrow as he regarded the relaxed half-demon still sucking on a sweet.

'You have always been a vandal, Dante,' Vergil's voice sounded amused and Dante tried not to grin.

'It was an accident. You were always the pyromaniac. I still remember you setting fire to mom's clothes when we were little.'

'That dress was hideous. I didn't want to be seen in public with mom whilst she was wearing it. You, however, always broke things out of frustration.'

'You always have a reason. Every action is thoroughly planned.'

"I will try to not do it again," Dante replied as he bit through the remains of the lemon drop.

"You are welcome to damage things whilst using the room of requirement, but please do not allow staff or students to witness you doing so." Albus sighed as he replaced his now empty tea cup in its saucer.

"Room of requirement?"

"The room on the seventh floor, where I assume you were sparing earlier this week. You can continue to use it during term time, but must be more discreet whilst leaving. The state of your clothing made it very clear you were involved in a fight of some kind."

'No one saw me that day. I'm sure of it.'

'He's spying on you, brother. He doesn't trust you.'

"The paintings are fairly unobservant, but please do be more careful in future. I would prefer it if you did not attract the attention of the Ministry. They are not known for their tolerance." Albus noted Dante's posture change at the accusation of fighting. The half demon had clearly believed himself to be alone and unseen that morning. It meant that his surveillance using the ghosts and paintings, so far, had been unnoticed, which was a relief. He had expected Dante to have realised he was being watched and reported on, but as soon as he confirmed it everything about Dante seemed to tense as if preparing to fight. Interesting.

"I'll take a change of clothes with me in future," Dante muttered as he forced himself to relax again.

"That would be sensible." Albus smiled as he noticed Dante's gaze had shifted to the portraits on the wall behind him. It was clear the paintings around the castle would be treated with suspicion from now on. The ability to spy on Dante would be reduced, but it would decrease the chances of any demonic abilities being revealed, or at least Albus hoped it would. He still had the ghosts which seemed to be able to trail Dante without alerting the half demon to their presence. Minerva had been the one to suggest it after her tour, mentioning Dante had been unable to smell Professor Binns and their lack of footsteps would probably make them an ideal method to monitor him. Peeves had thought it sounded an amusing game, and would hopefully be kept entertained by it for several more months, whilst the other ghosts agreed to watch and report anything unusual about the new 'muggle' member of staff.

"How is Patty?"

"She is happy and enjoying helping Pomona in the greenhouses." Dante allowed a genuine smile to grace his lips. Patty was thrilled with her current role of chief greenhouse helper and had confided in Dante that she wanted to be sorted into Hufflepuff so she could be in Pomona's house. Dante had told her that he was sure she could still help in the greenhouses, irrespective of the house she was placed in.

"That's very good. Pomona told me she was very happy with Patty's help so far. How is her mother doing?" Albus noticed his tea cup had refilled and lifted it to start sipping the hot liquid.

"Not very well," Dante's smile disappeared. "She is happy for Patty, of course, but her health is not good and I suspect she will remain in the hospital for a while yet."

"I could have her moved to St Mungo's. They may be able to help her in ways the muggle doctors can't."

"That isn't my decision to make, and you know that, so why are you offering?"

"You are Patty's guardian whilst her mother is unable to make decisions for her. Within the current situation I believe you are the closest thing to a legal guardian of the Lowell family. I find it ironic that in the wizarding community your kind are considered to have fewer legal rights than the house elves, but you are currently able to make important decisions on behalf of wizards."

"Your society could learn a few things from the muggles. They at least abolished slavery." Dante grit his teeth in annoyance. His options of Albus's enemy or collared slave were both so enticing.

'He plans to use you,' Vergil's voice said plainly.

'I can tell. His entire society would have me in chains.'

'Wizards are disgusting creatures. They are the worst kind of humans.' Vergil's revulsion was clear even in his mental voice and Dante found himself agreeing with the sentiment behind the words. Wizarding society was not endearing itself to him and the possibility of being a resident within this group for the next seven years was already feeling like torture.

"How is the muggle treatment of animals for food, work, research and entertainment any better than ours? The only difference I can see is that the muggles view you as one of their own, whilst we consider you as a worker." Albus smiled slightly over his tea cup.

"Animals have rights in the muggle world to do with how they are kept and treated. They may not be fair, or upheld very successfully, but I expect they are a damn sight better than the rights I have in your society." Dante glared at Albus and felt Vergil's mental agreement with him. It was nice to know Vergil would back him up on this argument if he needed it. How useful that support would be was questionable, but appreciated nonetheless.

"Whilst your heritage remains a secret I will treat you in accordance with the rules for employing a muggle in a wizarding business. If you are discovered I will have to treat you in accordance with the relevant laws, but I doubt we will need to look into that option."

'He likes threatening you,' Vergil commented. 'I think he's terrified.'

'I agree, brother. He's petrified of me, like the rest of the staff who know what I am seem to be.'

"Is there anything else?" Dante asked as he swung his feet back on to the floor.

"No. You are free to go."

"Thanks." Dante swiftly left the room in a swirl of red, slamming the door behind him.

Albus allowed his cup to rattle in its saucer as he put his head in his hands. He had wanted to set Dante at ease and gain his trust, but he'd clearly messed it up again. The half demon was powerful and, if treated correctly, a major asset. However he had resorted to obvious threats to ensure Dante's cooperation in hiding his heritage.

"You need to treat him as an equal," one of the paintings on the wall behind him suggested.

"No! He's a demon! He must be collared and controlled!"

"Bind him!"

"Throw him out the school! Demons can not be trusted!"

The paintings argued around Albus's office and the current headmaster shut his eyes in an attempt to block them out. This old bigotry was going to get him nowhere. The first painting had been correct. He needed to stop this open distrust of Dante and show the half demon he was welcome. If he was successful the rest of the staff would, hopefully, fall in line and make their 'muggle' colleague an accepted member of the team.

"Fawkes. I need you to send this message to Rubeus."

* * *

The knocking on the door was insistent and Dante pushed himself off the sofa to make it go away. He had only returned from the headmaster's office a few minutes ago and had been contemplating calling Flora to ask for a pint. The cupboard had been emptied so he had to request any alcohol he wanted rather than helping himself. Probably an idea from Patty to dissuade Dante from attempting to get drunk again. Dante suspected the conversation had included the phrase 'for his own good'.

"I was hoping you'd be able to give me a hand," Rubeus said with a smile as Dante opened the door.

"With what?" Dante asked, already reaching for his coat on the hook by the door.

"Moving Fluffy."

* * *

"Albus wants Fluffy to guard the stone," Rubeus explained as they walked towards the makeshift kennel. "He's putting a few barriers in place to protect it. I'm not sure what the other ones are, but he's asked for Fluffy to be made into a guard dog."

"All of this for a piece of jewellery," Dante replied with a laugh.

"It does seem too much," Rubeus agreed. "He'd only really need Fluffy."

"Fluffy wouldn't protect it from us," Dante pointed out as Rubeus pushed open the doors.

"Yeah, but we wouldn't steal it."

'You're far too trusting, Rubeus. I'd definitely steal it if I thought it was worth it.'

Fluffy tried to bound over to them as he recognised the two men.

"Hello, Fluffy, have you missed your mummy?" Rubeus asked as he stroked the dog behind one set of ears. The answering whine suggested the answer was yes and Dante allowed his fingers to scratch a second head.

"We're here to take you for a walk to your new home," Dante told the animal. Feeling his earlier anger creep back in as he realised that to Albus he was no different from the creature in front of him, and Albus had requested Fluffy be locked in a room guarding a stone. What was stopping Albus from deciding to do the same with him? Probably only his current muggle status, and that wouldn't really stop much as Albus could revoke it whenever he wished.

"Do you mind holding the leash? He's a little strong for me," Rubeus admitted as he began undoing the chains holding Fluffy to the wall.

"Of course. I assumed that was the reason you asked me to help."

Fluffy pulled on the leash as Dante began walking him outside. The dog was interested in everything surrounding them and Dante had to tug on the leash occasionally to remind Fluffy he was meant to be following him rather than the squirrel he'd just seen.

"Come on, Fluffy," Rubeus called as he walked ahead and clapped his hands to try and gain Fluffy's attention. "No, leave the squirrel alone. Come here, Fluffy, follow your mummy."

Dante glanced towards the castle to see a few other staff members watching them and wondered how they were going to explain why Dante was the one holding back the huge three headed dog, rather than the theoretically stronger half giant. He'd tell people he lost the coin toss if anyone asked.

They were nearing the greenhouses now and Dante spotted that Patty and Pomona had stepped outside, probably having heard Rubeus's yelling.

"Are you taking that poor dog for a walk?" Pomona asked as they got closer. "Keep him away from my plants or I'll complain to Albus."

"Moving him to his new home," Rubeus replied as Fluffy tried to bound over to the exciting new people. Dante dug his feet into the ground and pulled back on the leash to try and keep the dog under control.

'This puppy needs some serious training. Rubeus needs to get a dog trainer in, there must be wizarding pet trainers.' Dante felt his feet sink slightly and expected there would be shoe prints left in the grass.

"Can I pet him?" Patty asked as she stared at Fluffy.

"He's not very keen on people, but we can see if he accepts you," Rubeus grinned.

"Fluffy, she's a friend," Dante told the dog quietly as Fluffy whined. He hoped Patty had enough of his scent covering her for Fluffy to make the connection between them.

Patty stepped near enough for Fluffy to sniff her and paused to wait for the dog's acceptance. Dante noticed her grimace as she smelt Fluffy's breath, but she didn't back away and Fluffy didn't seem to want to attack her.

Fluffy's tail started wagging and he tugged on the leash to try and greet Patty more enthusiastically. Patty started laughing as she noticed Dante was having to fight to hold onto the dog which was now nuzzling her hair.

"There's a good boy, Fluffy," Rubeus said as he approached Patty to stroke behind the left hand head's ears. Fluffy's tail wagged happily as he received the attention and Dante let the leash go slack as he watched Patty smile.

"We should get going if we want to get Fluffy settled in before dinner," Dante eventually commented as he noticed Pomona pull out her wand to check the time. He'd got used to the casual way many of the teachers would use magic to replace common muggle inventions, like watches and hair dye. Rolanda had been the first one he'd seen to use magic to adjust her appearance and Dante had been fairly certain she was trying to flirt with him at the time. She had asked his opinion on which colour suited her best and had rotated through several options, including blue and green, eventually settling on a strange mix of purple with red streaks. Dante had considered it quite a nice style actually, highlighting Rolanda's peculiar yellow eyes and making her seem younger and more fun. He considered trying to get a picture to show the hairstyle to Lady as he could imagine the female hunter pulling it off rather well.

"Ok, we need to get back to work anyway. I'll see you at dinner," Patty said excitedly as she bounced away towards the greenhouses again.

"Come on, Fluffy. Let's go to the castle," Rubeus was talking to the dog again.

* * *

The room wasn't very small and Dante was glad Fluffy would have a reasonable amount of space to roam around. It was closer to the size of some of the corridors and had a high enough ceiling to allow Fluffy to stretch to his full height. There was a trap door which Dante suspected hid the further challenges and, eventually, the stone beneath it.

"Here you go, Fluffy, I hope you're happy here," Rubeus was saying as he took off Fluffy's collars.

"How long are we going to keep him here?" Dante asked as Rubeus backed away and put the collars in a trunk near the door. Dante noticed a few other things in the trunk, including an assortment of musical instruments. A strange thing to put in a room with a three headed guard dog, but wizard's didn't give the impression of being logically minded so far from what Dante had witnessed.

"I don't know, poor thing will be cooped up until Albus says otherwise. The house elves will make sure he's fed and kept clean at least. They aren't happy about it, but Albus's orders so they have to obey."

'Of course everything in this school happens on Albus's orders,' Dante thought in annoyance.

"Hopefully we can take him outside again soon," Dante replied as he looked over at Fluffy. The dog was sniffing around the room, eager to investigate everything that was new and exciting. "We both need showers before dinner," Dante commented as he glanced down at the state of his own clothes. Fluffy had drooled on him several times and it was currently sticking in his hair in a rather disgusting way.

"You look awful," Rubeus told him with a smile.

* * *

Lady double checked the instructions on the card Dante had left by the pot of floo powder.

'Throw a handful of the floo powder into the fireplace. Wait for the flames to turn green. Speak the destination clearly and step into the flames.'

The note had 'Dante's office, Hogwarts' scrawled on it which Lady understood as the destination she needed to say. She grabbed a handful of the green powder and threw it into the few flames currently flickering in the grate. The powder fizzled and Lady could smell a slightly sweet scent.

Green flames slowly replaced the yellow and orange making Lady grab the bag she was taking and say her destination loudly and, hopefully, clear enough to not get her lost. She stepped forward and crouched to make it into the fireplace.

The travel was unpleasant and Lady fell onto a carpet at the other end, coughing to remove the smoke from her lungs. Her bag fell from her hand to land on the floor next to her, soot marks spreading across the surface.

A pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and lifted her up onto her feet before steering her to sit on a sofa and be given a cup of water.

"Have fun?" Dante asked as Lady gulped down the water.

"That is a horrible way to travel." Lady handed the empty glass back as Dante chuckled. "I think I just shortened my life by several years."

"I should have told you to hold your breath," Dante agreed as he returned the glass to the kitchen.

Lady glanced around the room, taking in the familiar weapons decorating the walls. It was a pleasant place to be, comfortable furniture and a large enough area to have visitors. There was a table with several books stacked on it which were probably Patty's new school books, they certainly gave the impression of being textbooks, and several sets of playing cards were on various surfaces around the room.

"I brought you a few books and some paperwork," Lady said as Dante reappeared from the kitchen with a teapot and a couple of mugs.

"Paperwork?" Dante queried as he placed them on the side table by the sofa.

"Adoption paperwork. I picked it up yesterday. There's the contact information for the adoption agency I chatted with as well. The easiest way is to get his current carers to sign a statement giving you parental rights and fill in the forms. The agency will do the rest. I was surprised it seemed so easy, but I guess they just don't want kids without a family." Lady accepted the mug of tea Dante handed to her and leaned back on the sofa.

"Thanks for looking it up. It's good to have some options." Dante sipped his own mug of tea. He was surprised Lady had taken it so far already. Lady hadn't even met the kid and Dante wasn't certain anything really was wrong where Harry was currently living. It seemed a bit premature to start looking at adoption when everything might be fine. Dante didn't really know anything about the family and had hoped Lady would have done some digging into Harry's family history rather then visiting adoption agencies. Oh well, he'd probably be hearing all about Harry and whoever else Patty befriend over the next few months. "Did you find anything about the stone?"

"Of course." Lady looked up at Dante as if he'd asked a stupid question. "Trish and I had quite a bit of success."

The bag was easy to grab and open, three books pulled out with multiple sheets wedged in between their pages covered in notes.

"There were three main options we came up with." Lady flicked open the first text to a bookmarked page. "There are multiple stories of stones which neutralize poisons and it could be one of these. We were considering that the stone wouldn't seem to have any power for you as you aren't affected by poisons in the same way as humans. The second option is that it's draconite, or a relative of it, which would provide magical protection or increase a wizard's magical capabilities." Lady flicked through to a new section of the book to show Dante another chapter.

"Both of those stones wouldn't react to me in the same way as a human or wizard. I think it's more likely to be this one as it did start reacting to me after a while and felt powerful." Dante pointed to the current section Lady had open, letting his gaze drift across the information.

"Well, there is a third option, which Trish and I think is the most likely." Lady flicked to the final chapter of the book she was holding and allowed Dante to read the title. He let out a low whistle.

"I always thought it was a myth, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised by these wizards. It'd explain the security Albus is putting in place. He's got a three headed dog and some kind of evil plant protecting the thing. Rubeus hinted at a few other layers being prepared as well."

"This stone is worth protecting. It can grant the holder power, produce the elixir of life, turn stuff into gold. I don't know how it was made, but there are several theories, including human sacrifice. There's a few references to this guy, Nicolas Flamel, who was thought to have succeeded in making one." Lady shut the book and put the stack of them on the side table next to the sofa. "I've made plenty of notes for you to read through. Let me know if you find out anything new."

"I should hide that before Patty comes back," Dante muttered as he stood up to find a suitable hiding spot. Lady watched him tucking the books into the back of the kitchen cupboards. It was probably a suitable place as Patty didn't spend much time in the kitchen at Devil May Cry without permission, everyone knew the kitchen was Dante's domain. "Do you want to look around the school?"

* * *

The grounds were beautiful Lady admitted as she looked across the lake. It was colder here than back at Capulet city and she regretted not bringing her jacket. Leaning against Dante was an option, the half-devil was always a good heater, but it'd probably give anyone watching them the wrong impression. She shivered slightly and regretted it as Dante pulled off his red jacket to drop over her shoulders. That would probably give a worse impression to any people nearby. The jacket swept the floor as Lady stuck her arms through the sleeves to pull it on properly, she had worn it enough times in the past to be familiar with how it was most comfortable, but regretted the way it made her look like a flasher when she pulled it closed.

"Oi, Dante," came a booming voice which made Lady jump. She turned around to find the source of the voice and saw a huge man walking towards them with a black dog trotting along behind him.

"Hi, Rubeus. Lady, this is Rubeus, the grounds keeper here, and Rubeus, this is Lady, one of my co-workers from America."

"It's good to meet you," Lady said as she offered her hand for the half giant to shake. Her sunglasses were still in place, giving the world a slightly blue tint, and she was glad her mismatched eyes were hidden from the stranger.

"You too. Do you fancy joining me for a pint later? I was going to pop down to Hogsmeade for a bit."

"We'll probably spend the evening with Patty, but thanks for the invite," Dante replied with a smile.

"Fair enough. I've got to feed the thestrals before dinner," Rubeus held up a sack which smelt like rotting meat. "I'll see you both in the Great Hall."

"He seems nice," Lady commented as Rubeus wandered towards the forest edge and disappeared.

"I think he's the closest thing to a friend I've made here."

"With your masculine charm?!" Lady managed to fake shock as she turned back to the lake. Dante chuckled in response. "Surely not! Everyone loves you!"

"The people here…" Dante paused, trying to think of a good way to explain it. "The ones who don't know what I am are welcoming to an extent. They think I'm a muggle, non-magic person, which makes me interesting to some of them, but not part of the group. The ones that know what I am? I'm a potential threat. They can't seem to decide whether to try and appease me or try to control me."

"Well, as Nina says, you are the monster under the bed to wizards. Demons, banshees, vampires, dragons, trolls, all of them are the baddies in the fairy tales they grew up with." Lady looked up at Dante's face and smiled. "Give them time and they'll realise you aren't on the big bad wolf's side."

"Maybe," Dante muttered as he continued to look across the lake.

"Or you could just call it quits and return to America. I would have to mock you for years of course, and check my expenses carefully to see if there are any outstanding payments I should add to your debt."

"Outstanding payments?" Dante replied as his smile reappeared. "I thought Albus had paid off all my debts as part of my contract."

"He paid off what I told him you owed me, but a few expenses may have slipped my mind. Of course if you quit he'll probably want a refund which would leave you accountable." Lady smirked up at Dante as she realised his smile was genuine.

"I guess I'll have to stay here for a while then, or face your imaginative debt collection techniques."

"I aim to please." A tentacle broke the surface of the lake as the two of them looked back across it.

"I guess that's why Minerva told me not to go swimming," Dante nodded towards the giant squid that was now appearing to sunbathe in the late afternoon sunlight.

"What else were you told not to do?" Lady asked with a smirk that clearly meant she was planning to use the following statements as a to do list.

* * *

The gunshot reverberated around the clearing and the stick Dante had tossed into the air split in two before returning to the ground.

"Better," Dante commented and picked up another stick to throw. It was a familiar training game to improve their aim and the abundance of potential targets had been difficult to resist. Dante's suggestion to explore the forest had seemed a fun diversion, considering the warnings about the ferocious beasts that were meant to inhabit it, but it had proved a bit of a let down so the devil hunters had fallen back on their standard games involving live ammunition and non-living targets.

"Ready," Lady said after reloading and Dante threw the stick up. It was split cleanly and returned to the ground.

"3 for 7," Dante commented and glanced around for more suitable targets to throw for Lady. He could hear animals nearby, it sounded like horses, and Dante remembered Rubeus explaining the huge variety of creatures which inhabited the forest. Dante had tuned him out after unicorns were mentioned, but he was starting to wish he'd paid more attention so he knew if they were likely to be attracting anything dangerous with their game.

"What is it?" Lady hissed as she noticed Dante had paused in his search for sticks of the right size to throw.

"Hooves," Dante replied quietly as he glanced in the direction of the sound. "Heading in our direction."

"Tree?" Lady asked as she tried to work out which would be easiest to climb quickly.

"Tree," Dante nodded and grabbed the back of his jacket that Lady was still wearing. He jumped and landed on a branch part way up, pulling Lady with him. Lady dragged herself onto the branch above her and looked down into the clearing. They were still fairly obvious to anyone who decided to look up, but animals with hooves weren't likely to be able to climb. She could hear the hoof beats now and was glad they were off the ground as it sounded like a stampede of multiple horses.

What charged into the clearing made both Dante and Lady do a double take.

Centaurs.

A herd of ten centaurs armed with bows and arrows burst into the glade. Lady suddenly wished they were more concealed as she didn't want to get shot by any arrows. Dante would be fine after pulling them free, but she would end up with horrific scarring from those barbs that were fixed to the end of their arrows, if she was lucky enough to survive long enough for them to heal.

"It is good to see you, half breed," came a voice from below and Lady watched a centaur approach the tree they were currently occupying. Dante's shoulders tensed and Lady could see him resisting the temptation of reaching for his gun.

"We didn't mean to disturb you," Dante said slowly.

"You're game is rather destructive, but you are welcome to play provided no harm comes to our forest," the centaur replied. "Will you descend so we may speak?"

Dante glanced up at Lady before dropping onto the ground at the base of the tree. Lady took a breath and pushed herself off the branch, landing in Dante's grasp. She hastily pushed herself away from him and looked around the group of centaurs. They were significantly taller than both of them and would definitely be capable of overpowering Lady. Dante would defend her, but she preferred not to have to rely on his protection.

"You're presence in our forest was foretold. We are happy to allow the son of Sparda the freedom to roam our land."

"You own this forest?" Dante asked, taking a step forward so Lady was shielded from the majority of the centaurs by his body. He had noticed most of them were focusing on her and the familiar twitchy fingers on their weapons was not a good sign. His presence may not be offensive to them, but it was clear Lady's was.

"This is our land, and humans are not welcome," the centaur replied, looking pointedly at Lady.

"You realise my mother was human, don't you?" Dante snapped back in reflex. Lady tensed behind him and placed both hands on her guns in readiness.

"We are aware of your half breed nature, but do not view you as human." The centaur smiled slightly as he spoke and Lady felt it made him look slightly deranged. "The stars have made it clear that you pose us no harm and require the use of this forest."

"You guys are a bunch of fortune tellers?" Dante asked in disbelief. He glanced around the group in the clearing, trying to imagine them staring into crystal balls and reading tea leaves.

"We listen and read the messages nature gives to us. You are an individual who maintains the balance and we respect that ability. Your future is unclear, but a decision you make will influence the world."

"I'm a demon hunter. I kill demons to protect people. There isn't much decision making involved. She does the same job as me so you should all be showing her the same level of respect as you're showing me!"

"She is permitted as your visitor, but we will not extend this courtesy should you enter this forest alone." The centaur glared at Lady over Dante's shoulder and her hands twitched in desire to pull her guns. "We will leave you to your game for now, but will talk again in the future." Lady guessed the centaur had realised Dante was getting annoyed and didn't wish to find out what the result would be. 'Pose no harm' indeed.

The centaurs swiftly left the clearing and Lady realised she could now hear birdsong in the surrounding trees. Before the centaurs had arrived the forest had seemed deathly silent, which wasn't unusual when demons were present, but now the forest was full of life. Dante must have noticed too as he was glancing around at the trees.

"I guess the centaurs really do own this forest and just deemed us accepted visitors."

"Sorry about Magorian," a voice called from nearby. "He doesn't like humans, but the stars said we should welcome you." A centaur stepped back into the clearing and approached Lady and Dante.

"Do you guys do everything the stars tell you?" Dante asked.

"We try to, but their messages are not always very easy to interpret. My name is Firenze. It is good to meet you, half breed." Firenze extended his hand to shake Dante's in greeting.

"It is good to meet you too, Firenze. Please call me Dante, not half breed." Dante shook hands with the centaur, wondering if Firenze was intending to report back anything which was said to the rest of his herd. Did centaurs come in herds? Packs? Flocks?

"Of course, Dante." Firenze smiled and turned to Lady to offer her his hand. "It is good to meet you as well, human."

"Lady," she corrected him as she accepted the handshake.

"You are welcome if you accompany Dante, but I must warn you that my brothers will attack if you venture here alone. We do not have a pleasant history with humans." Firenze looked genuinely apologetic.

"That's ok, I'll stay out the forest," Lady told him with a smile.

"Magorian mentioned knowing I was coming. What else was in this prediction?" Dante asked as he sat down on a nearby fallen tree trunk. Lady and Firenze wandered over to join him, Lady sitting next to him and Firenze lying down in a similar manner to horses, tucking his hooves underneath him. He didn't look very comfortable, but it made him a similar height to the two devil hunters.

"It could be interpreted in many ways," Firenze replied, obviously choosing his words carefully. "The stars were clear in your arrival, as well as the arrival of many others who will have an effect on the future of this land. We are sure that you wish to defend this world, and all living creatures within it, but a decision which will test your allegiance is in your imminent future that will have far reaching consequences. Nothing is clear about the decision, except that it is yours alone to make." Firenze looked away and his gaze followed the flight of a blue bird across the clearing.

"If this decision is so important, what happens if I just refuse to make it?"

"That in itself is a decision." The centaur's gaze returned to Dante and Lady. "The stars also indicated that you needed somewhere away from human eyes to engage in hunting. Magorian read the movements and declared that you be permitted to hunt within these woods, provided you do not harm any beings which call this their home. I do not think he understands the purpose of demonic hunting, but if you wish to practice capturing prey without injury, the centaurs are willing to aid you. We do not often have the opportunity to take part in such activities, but I am sure our herd will enjoy the chance to improve their skills."

"You should accept," Lady said as she nudged Dante in the ribs. "It'll keep your tracking skills sharp at the very least and you might learn some new things. Who knows, you might find Firenze is a good fighter that you can wrestle with."

"I have some fighting skills, but centaurs are a peaceful race... most of the time," Firenze informed them with a smile. "Learning each other's tracking techniques, and how to evade them, will be highly useful. You may find some of us willing to play other games with you too." Firenze looked at the firearms strapped to Lady and Dante's belts as he spoke.

"Do you want to try?" Lady asked and offered him the gun she had been firing earlier.

"I have never held such a device." Firenze held the gun cautiously, as if it might hurt him at any moment. "It is an instrument of death. The only purpose is to kill and it feels heavy with the lives it has ended. Please take it away, I can not hold such a violent tool."

"How can you carry a bow and arrows? They are for killing as well." Lady took the gun and returned it to her holster.

"They are used to hunt food or to defend. We never kill without necessity."

"In my possession these guns have only killed demons. Those demons would have killed others had I not stopped them, so they are tools of defence."

"You seek out these demons and accept payment from others for this defence that you speak of. That is not the same. I do not wish to offend you, and I have great respect for the difficult job you both do, but that does not mean I believe you are correct in your choice to kill for money."

Dante placed a hand on Lady's arm as she was about to retort something unkind about Firenze and his contradictory views. She stilled and held her tongue, settling back next to the half demon.

"Do you have any advice about my new job?" Dante asked, wondering if the centaurs had much contact with the wizarding school. He suspected their dislike of humans was a result of their interactions with wizards and doubted they would spend any time on the school grounds out of choice.

"My experience with the wizards is limited to Hagrid. He is a very kind man, but not the most sensible. We permit him to wander this forest freely and I hope this truce will continue. However the other wizards encroach on our land occasionally and some wish to remove us completely. I can only advise you to be careful in who you trust, but remember you have friends amongst the centaurs and we will accept you as a creature of the forest if you require it." Firenze shifted his legs, obviously uncomfortable with lying on them for so long. "I must return to my herd soon, they will wonder about my absence if I stay away too long. It was very pleasant to speak with you both."

"Thanks for being so welcoming," Lady told him as she stood and shook Firenze's hand.

"I'll probably see you again soon," Dante said as a parting comment.

"I am sure of it," the centaur replied, glancing towards the sky briefly before trotting between the trees and out of sight.

"I think his front left leg had gone to sleep," Lady commented to Dante after she was certain Firenze had gone.

"It looked like it. They're a weird group, but I think I'm going to take Firenze up on that offer of learning how they track."

"He seemed happy about the idea of playing with you, even if we are basically assassins."

"Ignore that. I expect they have never seen the world beyond the forest. They've decided to accept me based on what the stars have told them for crying out loud! That's not the sign of a well adjusted group."

"I'm so going to tell Trish that you made friends with a bunch of centaurs because the stars told them to when I get back."

"I'm sure she'll love that story," Dante replied with a laugh as he noticed Lady shiver despite his coat still being around her shoulders. "We should head back and let you warm up a bit."

* * *

Lady was laughing as Dante lead the way into the Great Hall. She had warmed up significantly on the walk back and had removed Dante's coat when they reached the castle. It was now folded over Dante's arm as he didn't see any point in putting it back on.

"Lady!" came a shout and Patty ran over to hug her as the two stepped into the room.

"It's good to see you too, Patty," Lady told her as she hugged Patty back. "You seem to be training Dante well. He was enough of a gentleman to ask if I wanted dinner before I headed home."

"He can be nice when he tries," Patty replied as she grabbed Lady's hand and dragged her over to the table, eager to introduce her to the assembled teachers. "This is Lady. She sometimes works with Dante and is my friend." Patty told the group.

"It's good to see you again, Lady," Albus said with a smile over his glass of wine. "Please join us for dinner."

"Are you a devil hunter, as well?" asked Rolanda eagerly as Lady sat next to her.

"Yes. Dante and I occasionally do jobs together."

"And are you together?" Rolanda pressed. Lady looked shocked in response as Dante started laughing.

"What do you say, Lady? Fancy dating me?" Dante asked as his laughter came under control.

"I'm not that desperate. I'll try picking up men from the local at kicking out time first, thank you."

"Good luck with that. Most of those guys are terrified of you after you won that arm wrestling competition."

"They were wimps."

"So you told them, loudly and repeatedly. Then you challenged me to shots and tried to attack me when I said you had had enough."

"You probably deserved it." Dante shrugged in response and bit into his slice of pizza. Lady scared most men away with her atypical attitude and the company she kept. Dante was under no illusion that when the group went out drinking together his presence would prevent any men approaching Lady or Trish. He occasionally disappeared from the table and started trying to chat up women in the bar just to give other blokes the opportunity. It rarely worked now as most men in the pubs they frequented had been exposed to Lady and Trish before. They both had problems with men they considered weak and Dante feared he'd become their comparison point. All human men were going to seem physically weak compared to him and it was unlikely they were going to meet any other half breeds which the girls would accept. Lady still had an issue with his and Trish's demonic status, which would probably never fully disappear. What you were taught as a child was hard to overwrite as an adult, but the human devil hunter had ultimately built a friendship with the two of them. Trish had an almost identical issue, despising her own demonic existence but at the same time resenting humans for their freedom. It had eventually become one of the reasons she had left his shop to explore, unable to look at a reminder every day that they weren't really human and never truly will be.

Dante had seen several men approach the girls in the past, some even made it to the third or fourth date before the women decided they weren't capable of keeping up with them. It was probably that romantic notion of having a bloke who could protect you and care for you and all that other stuff in those trashy books Lady and Trish seemed to read. Most of the time the girls stuck with one night stands, like Dante, and shunned the idea of relationships.

"You two should both stop drinking alcohol. It clearly makes you do stupid things," Patty said.

"Alcohol does make you do stupid things. Dante, does stupid things without alcohol as well." Lady smiled at Dante's glare as she helped herself to roast potatoes.

"No play fighting," Patty said suddenly, pointing her knife between them. "You'll make a mess."

"We're still in trouble for fighting last week," Dante explained as Lady raised her eyebrows.

"When did we...oh, at the hospital." Lady looked down at her food to try and hide her grin.

"I doubt a hospital is an ideal place to have a fight," Minerva commented.

"We were in the grounds and no one was around. It was fine, damaged a flower bed but that was it," Dante explained.

"Sparing is a good way for us to practice our skills," Lady added. "We never put other people in danger and keep damage to a minimum. With Dante here, he's not fighting demons, so his skills will go rusty if he doesn't spar at all."

"You offering a match later?" Dante queried as he picked up another slice of pizza.

"Of course, but you're going to have to give me a chance to digest this or I'll get a stitch."

The conversation drifted to other topics as the teachers asked Lady about the demons she had fought and what had made her choose devil hunting as a profession. She managed to skirt around the questions about her upbringing and said she had first seen Dante in a bar, not explaining that she hadn't spoken to him until Temen-Ni-Gru. Patty had almost spoken up a few times before remembering Lady was probably lying to help keep Dante's secret.

As they were about to leave Lady pulled a letter out of her pocket and offered it to Minerva. 'Professor McGonagall' was scrawled on the front in messy Biro.

"Nina asked me to give this to you if I got the chance."

* * *

Lady and Dante had agreed to join a group of the staff members on a trip to a pub in Hogsmeade after Patty had announced she needed some grown up free time. They had said they would have one pint with the group before heading off to find somewhere suitable to spar, but Rubeus was trying to persuade them to stay out longer. Lady hadn't taken much persuasion after she had tried a few of the wizarding beers and was swiftly onto her third pint with several samples of the spirits. Dante was trying to pace himself after disappointing Patty with his drinking once that month already. Most of the group had dispersed after the second round; some returning to the school, a couple saying they were going to try the other local pub and a few joined the card game at the back. Rubeus had wandered off to speak to a hooded figure near the fireplace which Dante expected was a dealer in rare animals.

Minerva was nursing her firewhiskey and Dante found himself wondering if she had actually come out to drink or just watch him. Her gaze seemed to flicker between him, Lady and her drink which backed up the second option. If that's what she wanted then she could do it, he was enjoying having Lady with him in this strange world.

Lady's cheeks were showing a definite pink tinge now and she was getting increasingly chatty. Dante was glad Rolanda had passed out on the table leaving only Severus, who was asking Lady questions probably in hope of finding something embarrassing about Dante, and Minerva swirling her firewhiskey around the glass.

"It might be time to walk you home," Dante suggested as Lady drained her glass.

"Nah, I can handle another. This stuff is really good." Lady's grin was a good indication of her inebriation.

"I'm sure you can," Dante said in an attempt to appease Lady. He didn't want to start a fight with her now. It'd probably get them asked to leave and potentially barred, which wouldn't be a good start to his employment.

"You're just worried I'm going to talk about him," Lady said with a slight shushing motion to herself. "I promise I'll keep my mouth shut."

"That's good to know," Dante replied wondering if she meant his father, her father or Vergil. It could be any of them really. He sipped his beer and glanced back to Minerva, she looked more interested in Lady's ramblings now which was a bad sign.

"Who do you mean by him?" Severus asked, swaying slightly as he leaned forward in his seat. Dante hoped he was drunk enough to forget anything Lady was saying by the morning.

"I'm not meant to say," Lady leaned forward conspiratorially. "Do you promise to keep a secret?"

"Yes," Severus replied, leaning forward more. Dante wondered what Lady was planning to say, she had played the secret game before whilst drunk and usually ended up saying something about a past one night stand's performance. How true any of it was Dante had no idea, but considering the level of exaggeration some of her tales reached it made him doubtful. She really was just like a typical mercenary when drinking.

"Dante isn't compensating with his sword," Lady burst into hysterics after finishing speaking. Severus leant back as his alcohol infused brain worked out what she had meant. His cheeks went red as the meaning dawned on him.

Dante chuckled and shook his head in response, glancing at Minerva, who had gone red and was drinking her firewhiskey rather quickly. She probably wasn't used to this type of conversation and looked incredibly uncomfortable.

"I don't think everyone shares our sense of humour, Lady," Dante told her as she started getting her laughter under control. "And we should leave before you upset someone."

"Ok, time to go home," Lady agreed and leaned on Dante's side. She sighed loudly but showed no signs of getting up soon.

"Would you mind our company on the walk back to the school?" Minerva asked as she put her empty glass back on the table.

"That'll stop us getting lost," Dante replied with a smile. He would have been able to follow the path back to the castle with relative ease, but with Lady to carry it would be nice to have someone else with him who knew the area. It wouldn't be the first time Lady had decided to try and explore whilst drunk.

* * *

The group looked unusual and Dante would expect them to be attracting attention from other late night wanderers, but luckily the path was empty. The rest of the teachers had either returned already or were staying out later he thought. Lady was leaning on him and stumbling every few steps, despite claiming she could keep drinking if Dante would just let her. Severus was clearly suffering from intoxication as well and Dante was surprised the potions master hadn't fallen into the ditch beside the path yet. It had been a close call a couple of times.

"Is it normal for demon hunters to drink until intoxicated?" Minerva asked as she gave a small tug on Severus's robe to keep him heading in the right direction.

"Sometimes," Dante said carefully, knowing Minerva was judging his fitness as a parent for Patty.

"Dante drinks to forget," Lady mumbled as she pulled Dante towards her and tripped over her own feet again. "Not his fault. Just a kid. All of us just kids. Didn't want to kill him. Had to kill him."

"Come on, Lady. Think about happy things. Tell me about that wedding you were getting Patty to help you choose a dress for." Dante recognised the start of Lady's descent into the memories of Temen-Ni-Gru. He'd witnessed her crying fits numerous times and tried to support her recovery the best he could. She was the same as him in many ways, a child that never really grew up lashing out at the demons that stole away their parents and their childhood.

"I had a really beautiful dress. It was blue and I had a white jacket with flowers embroidered on it. The dress was only a couple of inches off the floor and had a slit up the side so I could show off my knee high boots." Lady smiled as she closed her eyes to picture the wedding. "Cecilia looked like an angel in her dress."

"I'm sure you both looked angelic," Dante replied as he felt Lady leaning against him even more. She would be struggling with remaining conscious soon Dante suspected.

"I'm sleepy," Lady muttered.

"Not much further and you can fall asleep. Hopefully we won't wake Patty when we get back."

"I'll help you," Minerva said swiftly, she was now holding Severus's arm to steer him along the path.

* * *

Severus had wandered off towards the dungeons unsteadily, but Minerva had said not to worry. If Severus fell asleep somewhere before he got back to his chambers the ghosts would probably wake him up again.

Lady was now held up at an angle between them, with one arm over Minerva's shoulders and the other looped over Dante's shoulders. The difference in heights was making it difficult to walk up the stairs and Dante eventually lifted Lady up completely.

Minerva pushed open the door and pulled out her wand. Dante heard her muttering something about muffles and assumed it was a spell to help keep Patty asleep. Magic was rather handy.

"Do you want any help?" Minerva asked as Dante dropped Lady onto the sofa and reached for her shoes.

"It's ok. This isn't the first time I've had to put Lady to bed." Dante undid the clasps holding Lady's boots on as she leaned towards Minerva.

"He's always a gentleman," she said in a loud whisper. "If I didn't have proof I wouldn't believe he was a demon. Him and Trish don't act like other demons."

"I'm going to get you some water and a couple of painkillers. Do you think you can stay awake long enough to take them?" Dante asked, knowing the painkillers would help the inevitable headache Lady would suffer in the morning ease quickly.

"I'll talk to Minerva," Lady replied with a smile.

"The house elves can get you potions in the morning to remove hangovers," Minerva informed them. It would probably be needed for Lady.

Albus had mentioned meeting two female co-workers of Dante's, Lady and Trish, but his description had made them seem fierce, warrior-like and untouchable. Lady was definitely not a fragile girl, the scars which littered her exposed skin were testament to that, but she was very real and very human. The comments on the walk back about drinking to forget echoed in Minerva's mind. Dante had been swift to refocus Lady on happier memories, a technique Minerva had seen used with trauma patients in the past. There had been far too many of her friends who reached for a calming draught to start their day for the last eleven years for her not to be aware.

"Did you choose the collar?" Lady asked quietly as Dante disappeared into the kitchen.

"No. Albus did."

"Good. I don't think I could be your friend if you collared Dante." Lady pushed herself to one side of the sofa and indicated Minerva should sit next to her. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Is this going to be like the secret you told Severus?" Minerva asked warily.

"No. A real secret. Promise you won't tell Dante I told you."

"I promise."

"I want Dante to come back to America. I'm scared you're going to kill him because you think he's dangerous." Lady looked down as tears began gathering in the corners of her eyes and drip down her cheeks. "Dante won't fight back unless you threaten Patty. He's not dangerous to people. I shot him in the head and tried to kill him and he still carries me home when I get drunk." Lady laughed to herself quietly. "He even named his shop because of something I said."

"I won't hurt him," Minerva replied quietly and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe Lady's cheeks. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Does he take after his father?"

"Sparda? Yes." Lady chuckled and turned her head to face Minerva. "I used to believe Sparda was a myth until I met Dante and Vergil. Dante cried when he lost his brother, his other half."

"They were twins," Minerva commented and saw Lady smile in response.

"It was like looking at two sides of the same coin. Dante says Vergil changed. He used to be kind and caring and protective, but the man I met was obsessed with power and didn't care who he hurt to get it. I don't understand."

"Take these," Dante said from next to Lady's shoulder and both women jumped. He gently placed two painkillers in Lady's hand and offered her the glass of water. "Do you want a glass, Minerva?"

"I will be ok. I should return to my rooms and sleep. Would you like me to transform the sofa into another bed before I leave?"

"That would be really helpful." Dante helped Lady to her feet so Minerva could work her magic. Both him and Lady watched in fascination as the sofa changed in front of them into a bed.

"It's real," Lady said in wonder as she reached out to touch the bed.

"Yes, and it's where you're sleeping tonight," Dante replied. "Thanks, Minerva."

"Sleep well, both of you."

"Thank you and goodnight," Lady called as Minerva took her leave.

"I'll get you one of my shirts to sleep in," Dante muttered as he looked at the bedroom door. "Wait here and stay quiet."

Dante was swift, noticing Patty was curled up in his bed with Nevan, and returned with the required shirt for Lady.

"Thanks, Dante. Sorry about getting drunk and saying embarrassing things to your co-workers."

"Don't worry. They were drunk as well, I doubt anyone will remember it in the morning. Get changed and go to sleep."

* * *

Well that's it for now. Hopefully I will get the next chapter up without such a long gap.

Also does anyone know any other collective nouns for centaurs? I was sure I'd heard a different one used at some point but couldn't remember what it was so tried looking it up. The general agreement points to herd, but I also found eminence and faculty. Have you guys come across any others?

Date: 22/05/16


	8. Chapter 7

It's been far too long since I posted but I have excuses! So many excuses!

I will post this chapter and the next one now as I have been working on them off and on whilst I have been away. I had to reread the past chapters and all my notes again when I returned home as I'd only got my offline documents in the hospital so threw out several of the scenes I'd drafted whilst there! Hope I haven't veered too far away from the original story plan. Sorry to those of you who have reviewed since I last posted – I will reply to you soon as I finally have internet reliably again so can actually see your reviews!

Anyway I am now slightly more on my feet, health wise at least, and have returned to the usual situation of disappointing my family and boss repeatedly. Hopefully I can get back to updating at least once a month, but there is ongoing treatment and talk about taking me in for extended assessment which would slow me down in posting again.

On to the warnings: This chapter contains some discussion of sexual and romantic relationships, the use of alcohol as a coping mechanism, the use of violence as a coping mechanism (a minor injury occurs as well), mentions of Christianity and associated religious texts, temporary kidnapping I suppose, discussion of 'tragic back story'. For those of you who like Lady and Dante together, enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Lady awoke curled up on something warm, very warm and moving slightly. She blinked her eyes open and spied white hair. Vague memories of last night drifted into her head and she internally groaned at what she had said to various members of the teaching staff. She remembered curling up in bed and demanding Dante keep her warm. He hadn't put up a fight and had let her sleep using his chest as a pillow, probably just so she wouldn't wake up Patty.

'Patty! She could walk in here any moment and see me curled up with Dante!' Lady shot upright, determined not to be caught snuggling the half demon, and looked around for her clothes.

"The house elves will have cleaned your clothes and probably put them in the bedroom," Dante mumbled without opening his eyes. He obviously didn't share her fear of being caught by Patty in bed together.

"Dante, get up," Lady hissed as she stood up and continued looking around the living room in hope of seeing her clothes. She feared Dante was right and she would have to send him into the bedroom to fetch them.

"Thanks for being quiet when you got back last night," Patty's voice said from the kitchen doorway and Lady froze. She was glad Dante had given her a shirt of his to wear last night rather than currently be stood in the nude with no idea where her clothes had gone. "So are you two dating now?" Patty asked.

"Definitely not!" Lady snapped instantly and went to look for her clothes in the bedroom to avoid seeing Dante chuckling at her defensive response. Dante was certainly not her or Trish's boyfriend, Trish had even found the word 'friendzoned' in one of their magazines which had made them both laugh as it felt like a perfect description. None of the devil hunters seemed capable of managing a steady relationship and all three of them had habitually picked up people from bars until Patty had moved into their lives. She doubted any of them were capable of dating normal people by this point, but she wasn't going to try starting a relationship to test this theory. Dante had been the first one to stop, out of necessity more than choice, which left Lady and Trish without their defender. Both were capable of protecting themselves from unwanted advances but it had been much easier to walk over to Dante and pretend to be his partner until the self entitled jerk had left.

"You heard Lady. Have you made any coffee?" Dante asked as he got out of bed clad in a pair of boxers. Lady had laughed at his attempt to protect his modesty whilst drunk last night, but he'd refused to remove them despite her pointing out that she'd seen it all before. Dante walked past Patty and picked up one of the two mugs of coffee left on the side.

"Are you dating Trish then?" Patty decided to ask, determined to irritate Dante about his love life after finding him curled up with Lady that morning. He'd been awake when she left the bedroom and whispered at her not to wake Lady. Patty had shrugged and gone to make the two of them coffee, knowing that they were both more likely to be willing to answer questions after an offer of caffeine.

"Nope, I'm not dating anyone."

"Why not?" Patty asked, trying to look innocent but failing completely.

"Because I have an irritating teenager who hangs around me all the time," Dante replied with a grin to show he wasn't being serious.

"You're always flirting with people, but you never go on dates," Patty had followed him into the kitchen and was now blocking the doorway to try and force Dante to participate in the conversation.

"Patty, whatever gave you the idea that everyone has to be in a romantic relationship to be happy is wrong. Some people are happier not dating, whilst for others it's what gives their life meaning. Besides can you imagine the type of person I'd have to find who would be able to cope with you, Lady and Trish?" Dante smiled at her and ruffled her hair. He used the distraction to leave the kitchen and disappear into the bathroom where Patty heard the shower turn on a moment later.

A moment later Lady reappeared from the bedroom, a slight blush still staining her cheeks which darkened as she met Patty's gaze.

"What you saw this morning never happened," Lady told her forcefully, although the effect was ruined by the red flush.

"Ok," Patty replied with a smirk she'd arguably learnt from Lady. "Dante's in the shower. I didn't hear him lock the door if you want to join him."

"I need caffeine and painkillers," Lady commented, deciding ignoring Patty's comments would be the quickest way to make them stop. The coffee was still warm in the second mug and Lady drank it gratefully, spotting the packet of ibuprofen Dante had left out on the side for her. A couple of pills washed down by the caffeinated beverage was definitely what she needed to face the day and Patty's conversation.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Patty asked as she watched Lady finish her coffee.

"No."

"Dante doesn't have a girlfriend." Lady allowed her eyes to close in the hope that Patty would take the hint and drop the subject. "Or are you scared Trish wants him as well and don't want to ruin your friendship?"

"Patty, Dante and I just don't like each other in that way. We are good friends and enjoy spending time together, but that is all. Trish doesn't want a relationship either. None of us are looking for relationships, Patty, we just don't want one." 'Despite the attraction having a guy who loves me, looks after me, listens to me, hugs me and of course is fantastic in bed would be….admittedly Dante fulfils most of those and probably would be pretty awesome in bed. No, stop thinking about sex with Dante. He's a half demon, not a potential partner. I can't and Dante certainly doesn't think of me in that way.'

"You and Dante are useless," Patty threw up her hands in annoyance and walked out of the kitchen. She was clearly frustrated with them and Lady didn't blame her, there were plenty of people who Lady believed should just hurry up and get together. They had been in bed together last night and it was hardly the first time Patty had seen them acting in a way which would usually be associated with a couple.

"Do you want breakfast? They do a pretty good spread here," Dante asked as he poked his head around the kitchen door. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and was drying his hair with a second one.

"I might as well. I still owe you a sparring match."

"Great. I'll get dressed and we'll head down. Patty are you joining us?"

* * *

Lady was unsurprised by the mixture of looks she got when entering the Great Hall. She didn't remember everything she had said last night, but if it was her typical drunken ramblings it was probably highly embarrassing. Dante directed her to a seat next to Minerva, who she remembered helping them at some point last night.

"I hope you slept well," Minerva told her in greeting. She offered a glass of something to Lady. "It will help with your headache."

"Wizards have a hangover potion?" Lady asked as she took the drink and sipped it. It tasted quite nice and she happily drained the glass. The effect was almost instantaneous and her senses returned to normal as the headache receded. "I'm going to need to get more of this."

"I'm sure Severus will be happy to brew a batch for you," Minerva told her with a smile. Dante had turned in his seat to chat with Patty and another staff member, it sounded like Dante was in trouble for something and Lady wasn't interested in getting involved. The half demon had a knack for making problems for himself and Lady had no desire to share in his bad fortune, self inflicted or otherwise.

"Do I need to apologise for anything I did last night?" Lady asked Minerva quietly. She was sure Minerva knew Dante's secret, her name had been mentioned on a few occasions related to Dante's contacts at the school. Nina had chosen to address the letter to her which still counted for something to Lady, despite Trish and Dante's distrust of the older Lowell.

"I don't think so. Quite a few people had too much to drink and I doubt they remember anything you said." Minerva took a bite from her toast as Lady looked concerned. "You only mentioned things to Severus and I, who already know, so don't worry."

"Good. I doubt anyone would have taken me seriously anyway," Lady said with a small laugh of relief. She helped herself to the myriad of food spread on the table in front of her. Dante was still being told off for something to do with greenhouses and a dog. The defence being that Dante didn't own the dog and certainly didn't leave the greenhouse door open for said dog to get in.

"Thank you for delivering the letter," Minerva glanced at Lady, wondering if she knew what Nina had written about.

"No problem. Nina seemed to think you needed some information. I hope it's useful, Nina isn't always very lucid," Lady smiled and started munching scrambled eggs and toast.

"I believe it will be helpful," Minerva glanced at Dante. She had read through the letter that morning before heading to breakfast and had immediately recognised the significance of the warning within the words. The demonic textbooks she had been reading gave more weight to the slightly abstract descriptions of potential outcomes, but the central theme was 'Dante must fight'.

'Demons cannot survive by our social conventions. They must be able to do some of the things they desire or their control will break. Dante uses violence and alcohol. The alcohol is a temporary solution. If he wants to use it in addition to other methods, let him, but do not make him rely on it. His demonic nature, I suspect, is highly violent. I would not wish the experience on anyone to witness it. The power he has is phenomenal. I think we saw only a fraction of it when he defeated Abigail. He would be an asset to any wizard which bound him. The thought of controlling that much power is a tantalizing prospect, but I would require his consent to attempt it and I doubt he would agree to it. Do not attempt to bind him, especially if he is showing signs of lacking control over his demonic nature. When I saw him last week he appeared to be less stable than the previous month, but he is in a new environment. You must provide him with distractions. He play fights with Lady and is very careful not to harm her. I believe he is also fond of pool and card games which may satisfy some aspect of his demonic nature. I am unsure, but with his normal diversions having been removed you must find a way to help him maintain control.'

"This bacon is delicious," Lady commented as she reached across the table to get more.

"I'm glad you approve. Are you planning to spar with Dante today?" 'If I want more information Lady is probably more likely to answer my questions than Dante.'

"If Dante isn't in too much trouble," Lady replied with a smirk and a nod towards Dante. Patty was still complaining at him about something. "Is there somewhere suitable? It'd be nice not to have things around we might break...or an audience who might be concerned about me shooting Dante."

"There is the room of requirement," Minerva replied thoughtfully, "but there are also several empty rooms we use for teaching which would be appropriate. I assume my presence would not be a problem?"

"You can join in if you want," Lady told her with another smile. "You might enjoy it."

"I do have a certain fondness for duelling."

* * *

Patty had insisted on showing Lady around the greenhouses after breakfast, which Dante had escaped from. He'd muttered something about the smell and vanished around a corner before Lady could grab his coat. Minerva had also disappeared, but had promised to meet them at the greenhouses after finding somewhere suitable for Dante and Lady to spar. If they could locate Dante later that is. The half demon could easily remain elusive for the rest of the day if he so wished.

"These are snapdragons," Patty was saying happily as she pointed at a bunch of flowers which were adorning a table in greenhouse two. Lady wondered how many of the plants were used for potions, most probably, and how many she would be able to find from muggle suppliers. She had a few people on her contact list who supplied her with a mixture of ingredients and weaponry. The weaponry had always been her main purchase, but she had a collection of antidotes to different demonic poisons. Dante and Trish had a level of immunity to most of the venoms they happened across, which Lady didn't share so she'd decided it was worthwhile building a stockpile to cure herself.

"These look like the flowers Cecilia had in her bouquet," Lady said, indicating a few arnica flowers nearby.

"She must have been beautiful."

"She really was," Lady replied with a smile. "So which plant in here is your favourite?"

Patty's smirk was dangerous and Lady realised it was definitely something the teenager had picked up from her at some point.

"The fire bush," Patty replied and dragged Lady across the greenhouse to a bush which gave the distinct impression of burning. It was about a metre tall and had leaves which seemed to flicker and crackle in a very similar manner to a bonfire. Lady was tempted to reach out and touch the leaves to see if they were hot, but she had been warned by Professor Sprout when entering the greenhouse that many plants were dangerous so she should refrain from contact with them without gloves.

"It's amazing," Lady breathed as she watched the leaves continue to dance in front of them.

"Professor Sprout said she thought this was the bush in that old Christian book. The one that spoke to the old guy in the desert."

"You mean the burning bush which spoke to Moses in the Bible? I suppose I'm not surprised Dante doesn't read you Bible stories, but didn't the orphanage tell you them?"

"They told us a few stories, but most of the time they didn't bother reading to us. The older kids would read us the books, but they always picked the ones with dragons and magic, not the religious ones," Patty grinned. "Dante just tells me stories about your adventures. They're much more fun."

"My parents always told me stories about demons," Lady told her. "I remember being curled up with my mother as she read to me about the great demon, Sparda, and how he saved the human race. Has Dante told you about him?"

"No." Patty looked thoughtful and Lady wondered if she had said something Dante had wanted to keep hidden from Patty. "Sparda is Dante's surname. Dante's stories usually involve him saving people, but I don't think he's old enough for your mom to have been telling you stories about him. Is Dante related to a famous demon?" Her eyes were shining in awe at the idea of Dante being related to someone famous.

"Ask Dante to tell you the story tonight," Lady suggested, hoping Dante wouldn't be too annoyed that Lady had told Patty something he had chosen not to share with the girl. Nina was aware of Dante's ancestry, so he couldn't be too sad about Patty finding out. The excitement was still clear on Patty's face as she seemed to be fighting the urge to demand Lady just tell her about Dante's famous relative. "What other plants do you want to show me?"

* * *

Dante heard the gasp behind him as he waited for Severus at the top of the stairs. The potions master still looked as if he could use a couple of hours of sleep but Dante had decided it was worth checking on him to see how much he could remember of Lady's chatter. It turned out not much and Dante had proceeded to encourage Severus to accompany him to the kitchens to find some breakfast.

"A demon?!" was suddenly squawked from the direction of the gasp. Dante spun around to find a woman with large glasses and numerous glittering beads and charms pointing an accusing finger at him.

"Sybill! He's fine, he's a friend!" Severus said as he ran up the last few steps. He looked slightly panicked and Dante wondered whether Severus had any form of plan beyond initially subduing the woman.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Dante added, hurriedly raising his hands in what he hoped came across as a show of surrender. If the woman was seeing him with a more demonic appearance he wasn't sure whether it would be less threatening than standing still. "Albus hired me to protect the castle," Dante added in the hope that it would comfort Sybill who was visibly panicking now, possibly to a level where she would faint.

Severus dashed past Dante as Sybill was about to scream. He slammed his hand over her mouth and cut off the wail.

"Help me get her into one of the empty classrooms," Severus said urgently as Dante watched the unexpected drama unfold in front of him.

"Ok, but I'm not sure kidnapping is the best way to prove I'm not a threat," Dante commented as he helped Severus manhandled Sybill into the classroom on their left. Once they had the door shut behind them Severus pulled out his wand and cast silencio to keep the woman quiet whilst Dante blocked her path to the doorway. Sybill was shaking and her gaze was flicking between Dante and Severus as if she couldn't decide who she should be more scared of. Dante noticed her gaze would focus on a point just above his head and over his shoulders suggesting he didn't appear human to her. This was going to be impossible, he at least gave the impression of being human to the others, but this woman was seeing him for the predator he had the potential to be.

"I'm going to find Minerva or Albus, keep her here until I get back," Severus said before quickly rushing out of the room, leaving Dante and the quivering woman.

"I guess I look like a monster to you," Dante said in an effort to break the silence.

There was a light head nod and Dante was reminded that Severus had cast a charm on her before leaving.

"I promise I'm not as scary as I look." He glanced around the room for inspiration. "You know what you see when you look at me isn't the same as what they see, don't you?" Another nod. "Is there any way to help you see me how they do?" Sybill looked confused by the question and Dante took a step towards her, holding out his hand. The woman backed away slightly, putting a desk between them. "You just see me as a devil. If you feel that I'm not, it may help your mind see me as I appear to everyone else."

Dante held his hand out across the desk, leaving the decision to Sybill as to whether she closed the last bit of distance between them. He felt Sybill's fingers trace the back of his hand hesitantly. She was frowning and repeatedly looking between where her hand was touching the back of his and his face.

"Is it working?" Dante asked and received a shake of the head in response. He sighed and wondered what else he could try. It was possible that when she calmed down her second sight might also calm down and allow her to stop seeing him in his triggered form. He assumed it was his trigger she could see. It was possible she saw something entirely different, maybe even some strange hybrid version of his many devil triggers that his devil arms had given him. Now that he had permission to play in the forest it was tempting to take Nevan out and go flying. He had a stash of devil stars in one of his boxes so could maintain the form long enough to get a decent flight. Part of him wished Sybill could talk so he could ask her what she saw.

Sybill had moved towards the front of the classroom and picked up some of the chalk which was sat on the teacher's desk.

'Protect the castle?' Was written and Sybill looked over at Dante.

"Albus hired me. He's worried about one of the new students, Harry Potter, who is starting this year and wanted extra security." Sybill nodded, which Dante hoped was an agreement with the logic of Albus's decision to hire him.

'Do they know?'

"That I'm a demon?"

Nod.

"Only a few people; Albus, Severus, Minerva, Poppy and Rubeus. I've been introduced as a muggle who has worked with the American Congress to everyone else."

'American?'

"I live in America." Dante paused as he thought about why Sybill hadn't heard his accent and realised where he was from. Everyone else had realised as soon as he had opened his mouth. "My voice isn't human, is it?"

Shake. Sybill looked away and fiddled with one of her many bracelets as Dante wondered what to say next. He had assumed talking would be helping calm Sybill down, but if she was hearing a more demonic voice it was probably having the opposite effect.

"Have you met many demons before?"

'A few.'

"What were they like?"

'Not like you. They didn't want to talk.'

"Most demons don't want to talk to me either," Dante told her with a small laugh and saw Sybill smile in response.

'Name?'

"Dante. Severus called you Sybill, is it ok if I call you that?"

Nod.

"It's good to meet you, Sybill. I'm sorry for scaring you." Dante held out his hand, hoping the human gesture would be reassuring, and was glad when Sybill accepted the handshake with a smile and a firm grip. "I'll try not to do it again."

"Dante, Sybill," called Minerva's voice from the doorway. "I was told there was a problem, but it appears Severus was wasting my time."

Minerva stepped into the room with Severus following whilst removing his silencing charm.

"Dante's appearance gave me a moment of distress. You cannot subject a seer to such an introduction and not expect one to become unnerved by the presence of a demonic visage. I need to return to my rooms for some calming tea and a lie down, this has been too much for my senses." Sybill turned to face Dante. "I look forward to meeting your human disguise at some point, but you are welcome to join me for tea in either form. I have never had the opportunity to read the fortune of a demon before."

The smell of perfume followed Sybill out of the room, leaving Severus, Minerva and Dante alone.

"You would expect a seer to predict a demon joining the school," Minerva commented after the classroom door swung shut again.

"The centaurs did," Dante replied with a shrug.

"I am surprised Rubeus took you into the forest so soon," Minerva walked towards the blackboard to cast a cleaning charm, removing Sybill's side of the conversation.

"He didn't. Lady and I went exploring yesterday."

"You were told not to go into the forest." Minerva peered over the top of her glasses at Dante, annoyed by the blasé way he had perched on the edge of a desk whilst admitting he had already broken the rules.

"As I told The old man, don't put temptation in front of demons, we aren't very good at resisting it." Dante smiled as he spoke, feeling quite happy at having irritated Minerva with his and Lady's trip. He had resisted the urge to explore on his own, having skirted the edge a few times in the past couple of weeks, but until Lady was present he'd avoided breaking the tree line.

"I will have to remember that encase I need to bribe you in the future," Severus replied, a slight glint in his expression which reminded Dante too much of when Vergil was plotting something unpleasant to feel comfortable.

"Take Severus to the kitchens. If he doesn't have breakfast soon I fear he will pass out. Then join me in the room of requirement," Minerva glared at both of them as she saw them about to protest at her giving them orders. "Dante has a sparing match to attend."

* * *

Patty felt excited.

She had seen Dante and Lady fight regularly, Dante always held back. She had seen Dante and Trish fight, it was significantly more brutal but Dante rarely let even a flicker of his demonic side show through in those battles. She had seen Lady and Trish fight, with Trish holding back and Lady being more careful with her shots to not cause lasting injury. She had seen Dante fight both of the girls, which tended to be the closest it got to Dante breaking a sweat.

Dante sparing with any of the wizards though would be interesting. The thought of fighting with magic, throwing sparks at each other and disarming your opponent with a spell was thrilling.

Minerva had joined them in the greenhouse and was asking Lady questions about how her and Dante play fought. There had been a mention of a letter from her mother about Dante and needing to spar. For some reason, that neither woman seemed willing to explain, the idea of Dante needing to fight whilst at the school was accepted. Dante was violent and angry quite often, taking out his rage on his jobs and inanimate objects but that didn't equal having to fight in Patty's mind. Oh well, she would ask Dante about it later.

* * *

The bullet failed to hit its desired target and impacted the wall. Lady continued to fire, forcing Dante to continue his dash across the room, rather than launch a counter attack.

Minerva was stood at Lady's left hand side and was slowly running through her repertoire of spells in the hope of finding one which would influence Dante. The few which managed to hit the elusive half demon seemed to have a limited impact, shrugging off arresto momentum entirely, which Minerva had hoped would slow him down and make it easier to land attacks, whilst losing grip on his sword for less than a second with expelliarmus.

"Reducto!" Minerva yelled and part of the ceiling fell where Dante had been stood the moment before.

"Wow! That would be really useful on some jobs," Lady commented as she dropped the guns she had been using to grab a second pair which had been strapped to her thighs.

Dante took the momentary pause in fire as his chance to attack.

The new guns spun out of Lady's grasp as Dante's foot connected with her lower back. It wasn't as powerful as he would use on demons but he felt the click of something dislocating as Lady fell forward. That was not going to be forgiven quickly.

A wall of energy sent Dante flying back into the nearest wall. Minerva smirked as Dante took the full brunt of whatever she had cast. Lady struggled to her feet and inspected her dislocated shoulder.

"Dante, you're a bastard," she complained.

"Let me." Minerva reached out and muttered 'episkey' under her breath whilst waving her wand over the injury.

"Dante, that was mean," Patty informed him as she wandered over from an area which had been designated safe. Dante had dropped a bag with a change of clothes there before they had started and Patty had agreed to stay there so she didn't get in the way of anyone.

"Sorry," Dante muttered as he brushed some of the bits of wall from his clothing. It seemed to be some kind of plaster this time, rather than the bricks he'd previously experienced in the room. His clothing was still ruined, partially from the few bullets Lady had succeeded in hitting him with, but mostly from the occasional magical impacts from Minerva's casting.

Dante could admit to himself that he'd had high hopes that Minerva would prove a decent opponent and she had risen to the challenge formidably. She had been hesitant at first, only willing to cast fairly innocuous spells, which Dante had found easy to ignore but showed she had no desire to really hurt him. However as the minutes ticked by, and Lady landed more hits with her firearms (Dante would never tell how many were down to Lady's skill and how many were because he wasn't wanting to win too easily), Minerva had stepped up to become an active participant. The first sign of Minerva not playing around was when something akin to a flamethrower had knocked him off course and into Lady's line of fire. This had been followed by a tug on his sword which would have disarmed him without his close connection to Rebellion allowing him to call it back to his hand, not that he would admit that to anyone. The following attacks had been easier to predict as he dodged and weaved between bullets and spells, unwilling to openly attack without being certain he could take out either of them without causing injury. That was one of the downsides of play fighting with humans, ending the match without hurting them was potentially difficult.

This fight had been worse than usual. He'd felt his demonic instincts snarling as the first bullet had breached his skin. A desire to rip and shred and bite. The mental image of sinking his fangs into flesh had caused an immediate change in tactics. He couldn't afford to directly engage Lady or Minerva until he had this under control; so he resorted to damaging of the wall and ceiling around them to force them to move, reflecting Lady's bullets with Rebellion and the constant fight with his instincts until he could use an opening to subdue Lady.

"Can you move your shoulder?" Minerva asked as she returned her wand to wherever it was normally hidden about her person. Lady rotated her shoulder gently and smiled as she noticed the lack of pain.

"Your magic would be really helpful on jobs. Far more useful than him anyway," Lady grinned as she indicated Dante who was receiving a lecture on 'the behaviour of a gentleman' from Patty.

"You miss him," Minerva replied simply.

"It's…" Lady fell silent for a moment as Dante shushed Patty long enough to tell her he needed to change his clothes. The red spread across Lady's cheeks as Dante pulled his rather destroyed t-shirt over his head without a second thought. Images of waking up that morning flooded her head and Lady struggled to get her blush under control before Patty noticed - which was a complete failure as she noticed Patty already smirking at her.

"I think I need a shower," Dante muttered as he knocked more dust out of his hair.

"You always need a shower," Lady replied out of habit. Her blush faded as she returned to their normal conversational patter, "and a shave."

"Would you like to join me for tea?" Minerva asked as Dante pulled a new set of clothes out of the bag near the door.

"I need to go home soon. Jobs don't tend to wait around in our business," Lady told her with a smile, "but one cup couldn't hurt."

* * *

Minerva's office was pleasant; a large fireplace warmed the area, with several seats, a table, a desk and windows looking out across the grounds and a stadium. A tea set with two cups was already sat on the table with two arm chairs pulled up as if in preparation.

"The house elves tend to be very good at predicting our requirements," Minerva said as she indicated the tea set and chairs. "Please have a seat."

A plate of biscuits appeared as Lady sat down. They gave the impression of being made recently and still felt warm as Lady reached for one. Minerva had walked over to her desk and pulled the letter from Nina and a parchment out of a drawer.

"I hope you don't mind me asking some questions," Minerva commented as she sat down opposite Lady's seat.

"I expected you would," Lady replied honestly, her eyes straying to the letter which was now open on the surface in front of her.

"She was warning about Dante losing control." Minerva lifted the teapot and poured out the two mugs, offering one to Lady who noted the way it appeared to already have cream included despite neither that or sugar being included with the tray. "You are welcome to read the full letter if you wish."

"It might help me answer your questions," Lady agreed with a smile as she sipped her perfectly prepared tea. She turned the letter round and scanned through Nina's messy handwriting before glancing up to meet Minerva's gaze.

"What I witnessed today wasn't what I expected."

"Dante is normally more physical, knocking my weapons away, and we typically end up punching each other. I think Dante was trying to drag it out to see what you were capable of. You should see him with some of the demons we've faced. He will purposefully drag out the battle just to see what his opponent is capable of, only taking it seriously when he gets bored. It's terrible." Lady rolled her eyes in memory of several incidents where Dante played around, wasting time and her ammo, when he could have finished the fight in a few minutes. She was certain Dante had been holding back earlier, keeping his distance from the two of them, encouraging Minerva to cast a multitude of spells which Dante could now recognise. If it had been anyone except Dante she could have called it a clever plan, but no doubt Dante didn't remember any of the incantations clearly enough, so would be unable to anticipate the results when being cast by another wizard.

"You think he was learning my capabilities?" Minerva lowered the cup to carefully consider the implications of this revelation. If Dante was an enemy she had just given him an advantage. Whether he had experience of all the spells she had used before or not, he now knew that despite being held by the collar he could still shrug off almost everything she had cast today. The one exception being the bombarda she had used after Lady was injured, which was not a fair consideration. Just before the spell hit Dante had shown concern, he had not intended to hurt Lady and there had been the option to attack either of them at that moment, probably both, but he had chosen the experienced demon hunter. Strategically you take out the bigger threat if you have the opportunity to choose between two targets and Minerva was quite sure her wand was a bigger threat than Lady's guns to the half demon.

"A little. He probably wanted to know if you'd make a fun opponent in the future. I expect he's been assessing almost every wizard here." Lady smiled, confused by the slight signs of worry creasing Minerva's brow. "Dante rarely pays enough attention to remember details about an individual's fighting style. If you are concerned about him knowing too many spells just make sure you don't use some of the more powerful ones you are sure will affect him."

"You are very observant." The cup lifted again to allow Minerva to take another sip. "And you seemed very skilled at hiding Dante's identity yesterday. None of your answers to the teaching staff appeared to be superficial, but I realised later on that I learnt almost nothing about you or Dante from the conversation."

Lady laughed in response. "It's a reflex by now. You must have noticed how private Dante is. We are all like that. No one becomes a demon hunter without something in their past. The only reason Dante and I know about each other's tragic back story is that we lived through part of it." Lady's smile turned grim. "Patty, Trish and Morrison have pieced together some of it but I suggest you don't go digging too far. Please accept Dante and I didn't choose this life for the money or the glory; we have reasons which drove us to this life at the exclusion of all other options."

'Every child deserves time to play and enjoy life without fear of the adult world.' Minerva remembered Dante's words when she had questioned his approach with Patty. Lady's words reinforced the impression the demonic textbooks had given, one suggesting Dante hadn't been given a childhood free of fear. Growing up scared of demons trying to kill you, eventually losing your mother to them, would drive almost anyone to hatred and fuel a desire to rid the world of those you viewed as responsible. However Lady had said yesterday that she met Dante when they were teenagers, after his mother was killed, but she knew his reasons for demon hunting because she had lived through part of it with him. Dante must have suffered more than one horrific event in his life at the hands of demonic forces. Logic suggested Mundus had continued his hunt of Sparda's descendants and Lady had been present.

'Could it be the loss of his brother that Lady witnessed? The book suggested Vergil summoned the Temen-ni-gru to open a path to the Demon World, but it was shut again leaving him on the other side. The author suggested Dante must have stopped the ritual being completed but didn't say if anyone else was involved. People were killed though, maybe Lady witnessed it? Being a survivor of that would make you hate demons.'

"I'm sorry to draw attention to it."

"You meant no harm, but I would appreciate it if you wouldn't pry into that particular topic." Lady's smile seemed genuine as she reached for another biscuit.

"Allow me just one question before I leave it alone. Does Dante's past pose any threat to the school?" Minerva held Lady's gaze and could see the hesitation. It could be a memory brought about by the question or something Lady wanted to hide.

"Many demons want Dante dead. None of them will harm a student whilst Dante is here. He won't let anything he considers dangerous onto the grounds to hurt people." 'Dante would stop anything before it had the chance to hurt anyone but Vergil is a mystery. Dante promised he wouldn't do anything Vergil told him to but family means everything to Dante and Vergil knows that. I hope he really does have enough of a heart not to use that against him now.'

"I apologise in advance for my next question, but it has to be asked. Does Dante pose a threat to the school?"

"I think you already know the answer from Nina's letter. He can't be caged, Minerva, it will send him mad. Do you think you can spar with him, like we did earlier? If possible get the other teachers who know to take part as well." Lady put down her cup to use both hands in imploring Minerva to do this. "Dante wants to protect you all. He has no desire to hurt anyone. You saw in the fight earlier how hesitant he was to actually attack either of us, and how sorry he was when he did injure me. He stopped as soon as he realised he used more force than he meant to." Lady took a breath to force herself to reach her main point. "Dante isn't evil and he definitely isn't our enemy."

"I will speak to the other staff members and we will ensure something can be done to help Dante."

"Talking to Dante first might be a good idea, although I doubt he will be particularly co-operative."

"What do you suggest we do?" Minerva asked as she pulled out her wand to make notes on the parchment. The charm was a simple one but invaluable for note taking.

"I agree with Nina that Dante has to have some way to burn off his energy. He's got his own methods though, so don't push him into doing what you think is what he needs. It's probably best just to tell him that you'd enjoy sparring with him again. Leave the option open to Dante but don't force it." Lady frowned and glanced down at the letter from Nina again. "Nina might have a good point about the gambling. Dante and I play poker and pool a lot, usually money's involved, and I know he plays it with others as well. You could try getting together a group to play poker, I personally promise Dante is awful and if he's winning at any point. he is cheating and please call him out on it."

"Sparring, poker but trust Dante to have some of his own techniques as well." Minerva commented and Lady saw the words appear on the parchment.

"I would have loved to have that ability in school."

"It is a very useful spell. I used it whilst I was studying. Do you have any other suggestions?"

"Hmm, Dante values Patty above everything. If he is struggling he might try and spend more time with her. As Nina says he might try and use alcohol, but he's not been drinking as much since Patty moved in." Lady paused, trying to think of any other suitable things Dante did to destress in the States. She could hardly suggest he take demon control jobs or visit whatever equivalent to Love Planet they had around here. "Maybe get him to visit me or Trish for a day when he gets really stressed. I know it won't always be practical but it will probably be the most helpful option."

'Occasional trips home?' appeared on the parchment.

"I'll discuss that with Albus. All staff are allowed holidays, but they are limited during term time. I'm sure Albus will see the practical side to Dante disappearing a day or two a month and permit it."

"If things get really bad you can call me. I'll kick him back into shape," Lady grinned.

"I don't doubt that," Minerva replied as she shared Lady's smile.

"Anyway enough about irritating half-demons. I want to know about you and the gorgeous people in the photos on your shelf."

"My family. I recently moved them to my office, before they were in my bedroom, but I was asked about them and it felt right to bring them out here."

"Everyone looks happy in the photographs," Lady's smile looked bitter-sweet and Minerva wondered whether she should try and change the subject but Lady's next question surprised her. "Do you mind telling me about them all?"

"I would love to."

* * *

Dante growled as he stood in the shower. Patty had gone back to the greenhouses after leaving Dante to get clean. She had expressed her disappointment in him for hurting Lady which echoed Dante's own opinion of himself. Yes he had hurt people before, he'd even hurt Lady on multiple occasions, but the desire to do far more had been so strong.

His demon stirred, annoyed at the human side for denying it satisfaction. Without the demon hunting the desires were getting harder to ignore. Pushing away the want to hunt and devour prey was getting more difficult, and his demonic half definitely considered humans to be part of the potential menu. Admittedly not all humans were usually an option, Patty and Lady were exempt to some extent, and his demon would rather hunt prey that didn't anger his other half, such as deer or bears. Dante had a few memories of his demonic half deciding to track a pack of wolves for fun, which had been rather enlightening into how much his other half was driven by instinct.

"What's happening to me?" Dante hissed as the water rinsed the dust from his hair. "I need to have a real fight. Where's a demon when you need them?"

'Having fun?' Vergil's voice echoed through Dante's mind.

'What does it sound like?' Dante growled in reply, continuing to glare at the shower wall.

'It sounds like you are in need of a hunt, little brother.' Vergil seemed to smirk at the end of the statement and Dante found himself wishing he could punch it off his arrogant face.

'You really are a master of deduction.'

'You know what you need so why are you resisting? I suggest you start with that idiot who has you leashed. After he's gone you can take that stone and work out how to bring me back.'

'I'm not near the stone so how are you talking to me?'

'It is somewhere nearby, but I seem to be getting stronger and I think our demons are trying to strengthen the connection. Maybe we'll be able to talk all the time soon.'

Dante caught himself before he consciously thought about how annoying that would be and received a small chuckle from Vergil in response.

'Do you know where you are?'

'The demon world I assume, but no I still can't sense anything except you.'

A silence spread across Dante's mind and he realised he could hear something similar to the pleasant growl his demon made when sated from a good fight.

'I think you made my demon happy somehow,' Dante thought before he could stop himself.

'Mine too.' Vergil seemed to pause as he considered something. 'They've always seemed happier when we've spoken like this. Even when we argue, as long as our minds are connected they're happier.'

'Two halves, Verge. I remember Dad telling us that almost all the time. We are two halves and we need each other.'

'That was sentimental rubbish, Dante. If anything I think it would be that our demons sense an equal. Both of us are driven to fight and our demonic selves sense each other as a challenge that they can neither win nor lose. That is an enticing prospect for anyone.'

'But you did lose, Vergil. I killed you.'

'And yet I am still here.' Vergil went quiet and Dante listened to the peaceful demon buried within his mind. 'I don't think either of us is truly capable of killing the other.'

'I want to believe that but it sounds like nonsense.'

'When I was researching I discovered many prophecies. One, which I investigated further, spoke of demonic twins unable to exist without the other. It is backed up by how rare demonic twins are, those who are fraternal kill each other before they are born, leaving only identical twins remaining. From what I could find these twins don't outlive each other and it's unusual for them to spend significant time apart. When one twin dies the other doesn't last more than a day, but they never kill each other or themselves. I wonder if they subconsciously were unable to finish the act?'

'So you're saying that whatever happens we're stuck together until the end?'

'I think we might be.'

'That sounds-' Dante was cut off by a yell from outside the bathroom.

"Dante?!"

"I'm in the shower, Patty," Dante replied as he quickly finished rinsing the debris from his hair. He had no idea how long he'd been standing in the pleasantly warm spray but Patty would probably tell him.

"Are you stealing my shampoo?"

"No."

"Good. I don't want us to smell the same." Dante wondered whether he should take that as an insult, but the chemical tang to the shampoo Patty had chosen irritated his nose so he wasn't going to use it anyway. One of the problems with having an enhanced sense of smell, cleaning products were a nightmare.

"I thought you were going to be in the greenhouses all day," Dante commented as he shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed one of the towels from the rail and tried to dry off swiftly.

"I planned to but Professor Sprout asked me about whether I'm joining the other students in London or meeting them when they arrive here for the start of term."

"Why would you go to London just to come back here?"

"All the other students will be on the train together. I don't want to be the only one who didn't come to school with everyone else!" Dante wrapped a towel around his waist and opened the door to see a miserable looking Patty curled up on the sofa. She looked ready to cry.

"Do you want me to ask if you can join the other students on the train?"

"Would you?" Patty look instantly happier and jumped off the sofa to envelope Dante in a hug.

"Why don't you go and find Minerva to ask her? Lady's probably still with her and I'm sure Minerva can arrange it."

"Thanks, Dante. You're the best but you still need to get dressed. You were in the shower for ages!"

'She really knows how to play you,' Vergil commented as Patty let go of the demon hunter, all signs of sadness had disappeared from her face. Dante mentally shrugged, unconcerned by Vergil's observation, and wandered into the bedroom to find some clothes. Patty may be a brat some of the time, but Dante was more than happy to indulge most of her demands. He had moved country for her, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that he'd give into her other requests easily.

The main door opened and shut, which Dante assumed meant Patty had left to find Minerva's office. This assumption vanished as he heard Albus's voice greeting Patty and inquiring as to Dante's location.

'What does the manipulative bastard want now?' Vergil muttered in his mind.

'He'll probably tell me in a moment. Do you think he's been nearby since you started talking again? It's probably more likely than you just suddenly being able to talk all the time.'

'Maybe,' he admitted. 'I still feel stronger.'

Pushing open the bedroom door revealed Albus smiling at Patty who was holding up a rather upset cat. Nevan was struggling to escape Patty's grasp as the girl explained something to the headmaster.

"Ah, it's good to see you again, Dante," Albus's smile turned to the half demon. "I was hoping you would be able to accompany me in collecting something from London."

"I thought I was meant to be responsible for school security, not your errand boy or personal bodyguard."

"This particular item is related to school security."

"Could this task wait until Sunday morning?" Dante asked as he glanced down at Patty.

'Planning to drop Patty at the station before picking up whatever this mystery package is?' Vergil enquired. 'I think even a human can spot that plan.'

'I hope so, I intended it to be obvious so he would agree,' Dante replied.

"I'm sure we can arrange our visit to reach King's Cross in time for the train."

"Thank you!" Patty exclaimed, dropping Nevan to hug Dante then Albus. "I'm going to tell Professor Sprout!"

"Remember Lady will be leaving when she finishes chatting with Minerva. She'll want to say goodbye," Dante reminded the excitable teenager.

"I'll visit Professor McGonagall's office first," Patty replied as she dashed out the door.

"So what are we collecting?" Dante asked, noticing a couple of tea cups and plate of biscuits had appeared on the table.

"A mirror," Albus replied as he sat down and indicated Dante should join him. "I asked an old friend to do some research on it for me."

"How does a mirror relate to school security?" Dante noticed Vergil had fallen silent, but he could feel how his older twin was focused on the conversation.

"Depending on what I learn on Sunday it will form part of the defences for the stone," Albus smiled slightly. "I would appreciate your help with ensuring there is adequate protection from both outsiders and those employed here."

"You want to make sure I can't steal it? Or are you more concerned by other wizards taking it?"

"I gave you a chance to walk away with it," Albus's smile broadened. "If you wanted to make use of it I doubt you would have given it to me."

'He's an idiot,' Vergil commented. 'Just because you didn't keep it doesn't mean you won't take it and use it at another time.'

"Maybe," Dante replied as he sipped his tea.

"Should I make sure you are unable to reach the stone?" Albus asked. "Stop you being tempted to take it?"

"If you try I will probably attempt to steal it due to the challenge."

"That's a very honest answer."

'No, it's a clever answer,' Vergil mentally corrected Albus's observation. 'Now the stone should be retrievable whenever we want it.'

'Only if Albus trusts me,' Dante pointed out. 'I doubt he does.'

'Not yet, but he will.'

"It seems illogical to deny it. I know Fluffy is the first barrier, what else are you using?" Dante reached for the plate of biscuits and helped himself to a chocolate digestive.

"Pomona is cultivating Devil's Snare and I have requested Severus, Filius and Minerva to develop their own challenges. I know Minerva was looking at the possibilities of using wizarding chess and Filius wanted flying skills tested but they haven't told me of their success yet."

"Four layers, plus Fluffy and this mirror we're retrieving? Is this stone really worth it?"

"It is capable of prolonging life and transforming objects into gold. I think that makes it desirable to many who would misuse it."

'I wonder what he counts as misuse?' Vergil muttered.

'What we're doing right now is probably on his list,' Dante commented and heard Vergil mentally snort in reply.

"Do you want to use it?" asked Dante.

"My life is long enough already and I have no desire to increase my wealth," Albus smiled as he took another biscuit from the plate. "I am content with my current situation."

The silence stretched between them as Albus munched his biscuit.

"Would you use it?" Albus asked the inevitable question.

"I'd probably give it to Lady and pay off all my debt," Dante replied with a smile.

'After using it to bring me back,' Vergil added.

'If it can do that. We still need to find out whether it can.'

Albus chuckled, "It's a good thing your debt was cleared before you started work then or I would have to protect the stone from you as well." The smile shared between them wasn't entirely free of suspicion, but it showed a level of trust Dante hadn't expected to see from Albus. "If possible I would appreciate your assistance in creating another barrier. It must be passable by at least yourself and another staff member so we can retrieve the stone when required, but an additional barrier from a non-wizard could prove beneficial."

"It sounds like you're setting up an obstacle course," Dante commented, mentally considering the possibilities.

'Similar to Temen-Ni-Gru,' Vergil mentioned. 'You could probably imitate one of those locks. I remember there being several challenges which didn't involve demons.'

'I think you dealt with most of those and left the demons to me. There was one puzzle I remember involving light…'

"Hopefully an obstacle course which will stop any thieves," Albus remarked. "I will ask the house elves to aid you in retrieving anything you need to create your trial. It may be sensible for you to ask one of the teaching staff to help you as well, preferably Minerva, Severus or myself, as we can advise you on what would be simple for a wizard to bypass."

"I'll consider what I can do."

'You mean I'll make suggestions and you'll choose one,' Vergil complained.

'That sounds a perfect division of labour.'

'You always have been lazy. Even as kids you would copy my homework instead of doing it yourself.'

'That wasn't laziness. I always got better marks when I copied yours.'

'And I always got lower marks when you did! Most of the teachers left comments on my work saying I should help teach you rather than just giving you the answers.'

'That's unfair. You never gave me the answers, I had to sneak into your room and hunt for them.'

'They didn't know that.'

"Thank you. I will speak to my contact in London and agree a time with him for Sunday. He tends to have a flexible schedule so I expect he will be happy to meet us then."

"It means a lot to Patty to be able to join the other students. I assume you have no problems with me dropping her off at the station even if we can't make your collection on Sunday."

"Of course. I will make sure she has a ticket and instruct the house elves to arrange everything." Albus drained his cup and returned it to the table. "As for our trip, visit my office tomorrow afternoon and we will discuss the details. I would appreciate it if you kept the information about my plans concerning the stone to yourself."

"I won't speak to anyone," Dante replied, 'except you, Vergil. It's a bit late to avoid you finding out.'

"Thank you. Now I should leave so you can spend some more time with your visitor before she leaves."

"I think she's busy somewhere else and I know better than to try and interrupt 'girl time'." Albus chuckled as Dante looked slightly disgusted by the phrase.

"I will leave the decision up to you."

The door shut behind Albus and Dante helped himself to the remaining biscuits.

'So a magic mirror, that three headed dog you've been playing with and a plant named Devil's Snare are going to be between us and the stone.'

'As well as a few other barriers by the heads of the houses,' Dante reminded Vergil. 'Fluffy will let me past. Patty was telling me about Devil's Snare. It hates bright light so should be easy to deal with. This mirror, well I guess I'll find out what the plans are on Sunday.'

'That's a good start. Hopefully the other tests will be easy to pass.' Vergil's voice seemed to dim as the sentence progressed, dropping in volume and strength. 'I think our time may be ending.'

'Hopefully the stone will be in the office tomorrow and we can talk again.'

'Until it is protected I doubt your new employer will let it leave his side.'

'If I was him, I wouldn't. I wouldn't have trusted a new employee to collect it either.' The silence following Dante's thought felt empty, signalling Vergil had gone. Dante sighed and leaned back on the sofa, letting his eyes drift shut.

"I miss you, Verge."

"Is he still talking to you?" Lady's voice cut through the air.

"He just left," Dante replied without opening his eyes.

"That's a shame. I was hoping to ask him a few questions."

"I doubt he'd give you any answers."

"Probably not, but a girl can only try."

"Did you have fun at your tea party?"

"Minerva asked me a few difficult questions. The good news though is that she is widowed, not currently seeking a man but is open to that option; loves kids; has a well paying, stable job; is willing to overlook slight differences in genetics and, most important of all, is willing to tell you when you're being a dick." Dante opened his eyes to glare at Lady. "I put in a good word for you."

"You have a terrible sense of humour."

"It's an improvement on yours." Lady smiled as Dante continued to glare. "As fun as it is to tease you I do actually have a job to go to."

"It's the same method with the powder but you want 'Devil May Cry'."

"Thanks," Lady jumped to her feet and wandered over to the fireplace. She was about to grab a handful of the dust when Dante's arms enveloped her into a hug. "Going to miss me that much, huh?"

"Shut up."

Lady twisted around to return the embrace briefly before they both let go.

"You know I forgive you for earlier, right?" Dante nodded slightly. "But you need to find a way to manage your urges whilst you're here. I could tell as soon as I arrived that you aren't all here."

"I'm fine."

"Remember I've seen you when you and Trish let instincts take over. I know the signs and right now when I look at you I can see it. You, the infuriating, human you, isn't the only one staring back at me, Dante." Lady grabbed a handful of the floo powder. "Spar with Minerva, go hunting with the centaurs, do anything you have to so no one gets hurt, Dante. I want you to come home without…" Lady trailed off and threw the floo powder into the grate.

"I promise I won't hurt anyone."

"Please," Lady replied quietly before she turned away to leave.

Dante continued to stare at the fireplace after Lady had vanished.

'I need to hunt.'

* * *

Albus stepped outside Dante's rooms and raised a hand to the pocket containing the stone. It was hot, almost to the point of burning his fingers. Nicholas had mentioned the stone could leave blisters on his hands when being used and every time Dante was nearby the stone swiftly increased in temperature. A reaction to demons or was Dante using the stone somehow? There was no outward indication that Dante was attempting to access the stone's power and Dante had not appeared to try and spend time near the stone unnecessarily.

'If he was trying to use the stone he would be making excuses to be near it. Instead he's only looked for me once and hasn't made any trips to my office in search of it. Maybe it really does just react to demons?'

Lady turned the corner ahead of him and smiled in greeting.

"I hope you've enjoyed your stay here," Albus returned the smile.

"It's been very pleasant. Thank you for letting me stay."

"Of course." Albus and Lady paused, both seeming to want to say something but unsure how to start. Lady's gaze glanced towards the entrance of Dante's rooms before returning to Albus. "I should let you leave but if you feel the need to talk at any time please don't hesitate to contact me."

"The same for you. Dante saved the phone number you left, I assume the number still works?"

"It will be answered by the house elves but they will pass on any messages to me."

"Ok. Thank you again and…" Lady paused, glancing over at Dante's rooms again. "Look after them both."

"Of course," Albus smiled and stepped aside to let Lady escape the conversation. He resisted the urge to stay and listen to Lady and Dante's farewell and started the walk back to his office. There were still many things to prepare before the return of the students, including arranging the trip to London, and he would need to instruct the house elves in various tasks.

Quick steps whilst mulling over the list brought Albus to the entrance of his office where he paused to unlock the doors. His penchant for sweets dictating the choice in password, as usual, had landed on strawberry bonbons this year and had elicited the expected sigh from the heads of houses when they were informed. Minerva had been particularly displeased and suggested the headmaster of an educational establishment should have a password befitting his status rather than his preferred confectionery. The other staff would need to be informed of the password before Sunday and it would probably be the typical range of polite laughter from everyone.

Dante's rooms needed a lock but Minerva had taken that responsibility and would include it with the list of other passwords that Albus would receive on Sunday. It would be interesting to see what Dante had picked, a vastly different cultural background and a potentially revealing choice in memorable word.

Tea was waiting on his desk with a list of completed tasks from the house elves. The dormitories were ready, waiting for the students to fill them, and the classrooms were prepared. Within the next few days the final teachers would move into their term time accommodation and everything was set. It was the same as every other year except it felt different.

Harry Potter would be here this year.

He was returning to the wizarding world.

Patty Lowell was here with her exposure to the demonic world.

Her family history could place her as a political asset when comparing with the other European schools or a hazard if the American Congress realised they had missed a potentially powerful witch and requested her return to the USA. How she had remained undetected for so long was still a mystery, but Minerva had theorised the protections put in place by Patty's mother to hide her from demons had also hidden her magic. It was a reasonable idea and her magic was evident now.

Dante Sparda, although Albus was doubtful that was his real name.

A half demon, half human who was here to protect Harry and Patty.

"What do you want, Dante?" Albus asked himself as he sat down at the desk. He pulled the stone out of his pocket and inspected the surface. It looked the same as before, a red gemstone without a single visible imperfection.

"Power?"

There were easier ways to achieve power than following the Lowells and the implications from the American Congress's reports were that Dante was not lacking in power.

"Wealth?"

Money was clearly lacking, but Dante and Patty hadn't given the impression of struggling to support themselves. There had been comments about Dante taking on jobs without pay which clearly showed a lack of concern for finances.

"Freedom?"

That was the most likely. Demons, even half demons, wouldn't stay with the Lowells without a reason. Was it possible Dante was bound to serve the Lowells and using the stone to break the spell? Could he have received orders that forced him to return the stone but was still trying to use it to weaken the bonds without being too obvious about it? He would still be trying to increase his time near it and he wasn't.

"What are you reacting to?"

Albus pulled out a quill and began the task of writing a letter enquiring if the stone reacted to demons without explicitly stating he had a demon on staff.

* * *

Patty was looking thoughtful as she sat on the sofa that evening. Dante had learned to dread that expression, it usually resulted in unpleasant or irritating questions and requests.

"You know lots of famous demons," Patty stated eventually, her gaze being directed at Dante as he continued cleaning his guns on the main table.

"I know of many famous demons. Most of the time we avoid or fight each other," Dante replied without looking up from applying cleaning fluid to Ebony.

"You don't fight all the demons you meet," Patty continued watching Dante, obviously leading up to asking something she expected would annoy him.

"No, some demons don't want to hurt people and we leave each other alone."

"You're friends with Trish," Patty pointed out.

"Yes. Trish and I are friends." Dante picked up Ivory to continue applying cleaning fluid.

"So if there were famous, good demons you could be friends with them as well."

"If we liked each other, then yes we could be friends," Dante glanced up briefly in an attempt to gauge where this conversation was going. Nowhere good he expected.

"Can you tell me about any famous, good demons?" Patty asked as she saw Dante's glance towards her. He didn't look annoyed yet but he certainly wasn't in the mood to be pestered by questions.

"Did you have a particular story in mind?" Dante met Patty's gaze, suspicion clearly showing in his eyes as he returned Ivory to the table top.

"I want to know about Sparda."

The sigh and Dante's eye line dropping to his twin guns was not the reaction Patty had anticipated. Lady had seemed almost in awe when she had said the name earlier and surely Dante would be proud of his ancestor if they were truly good.

"Sparda is considered a traitor and despised by the majority of demon-kind," Dante said slowly. "His name is cursed by those he rebelled against and all those associated with him are hated by the demons trapped in the demon world." Dante sighed again and looked over at Rebellion hanging from its mount on the wall. He remained silent as he contemplated what to say next. Telling Patty about his family history had always been a consideration, the potential conversation had run through his mind on multiple occasions, but now that it was happening Dante felt ill prepared.

"Sparda is your family name," Patty prompted as she realised Dante wasn't going to continue speaking.

"Sparda is my father," Dante said, his gaze returning to Patty and seeing her eyes widen slightly in response to the admission.

"What did he do?" Patty's voice was quiet and she continued to stare at Dante.

"He fought for humans and sealed the pathways between the human and demon worlds. I don't know the details of what he did, but I'm sure the stories aren't the whole truth. That tale I was told suggested Sparda fought for justice and defied Mundus because of it. The only thing I know for certain is that he made the seals and seems to have pissed off nearly every demon by doing so."

"You fight for humans too," Patty said as Dante paused. "Did your Dad teach you?" Patty regretted the question as soon as she asked it, Dante's expressions were hard to read but she had spent enough time with him to interpret the twitches of his eyebrows and narrowing of his eyes. Something about the question was upsetting.

"Sparda left us when I was a child." The statement felt cold and there was a hint of anger in Dante's voice which made Patty flinch. Anger was not a normal emotion to see from Dante. Frustration, yes, but not anger. "I'm feeling tired," the anger had disappeared but it was clear the conversation was over for now.

'I will have to do some research,' Patty thought.

* * *

And on to chapter 8. I'll see you there.

14/11/16


	9. Chapter 8

So second chapter to post today. I have a couple of confessions about this chapter – firstly I finally have an English copy of the book again and did directly take some chunks of dialogue from it so they will be familiar to many of you. Secondly I was re watching Constantine (the TV show not the film) during my recovery and I can't be the only person who thought when John Dawlish was shown in Order of the Phoenix he looked a bit like John Constantine...probably the trench coat that did it. Anyway that is the inspiration for Albus's old friend in this chapter but no, he isn't actually John Constantine and I am not pulling this crossover into more fandoms. You can believe he is if you so wish or just a slightly mental and well experienced wizard. My husband was dropping hints that he wanted me to base the character on Gabriel Van Helsing instead...he stood in the living room wearing his trench coat and hat complaining he needed a crossbow. I think I need to get him a blue coat and a white wig to wear instead, he could pull off quite a convincing Vergil...

King Cross Station is familiar to many of you in the form shown in the books and films. However I used to be there fairly frequently and got to know the station rather well, hence my confusion when seeing the films and the platform was put in the wrong place. I've used the current station layout to position the barrier in this so please look up the station map if you are confused.

Warnings: This chapter contains mentions of child abuse, smoking, distrust and hatred of various groups, loss of a toad, drinking (both in moderation and excess), Patty punches someone, Christianity and it's accepted view on magic.

* * *

Sunday morning was cold and grey. Rain lashed at the castle windows as Dante shook Patty awake. Nevan decided to aid in the exercise by batting Patty's face with her paw and meowing loudly.

"Five more minutes," Patty grumbled and pulled the sheet over her face.

"I expect you up when I get back from my shower," Dante told her as he grabbed a towel. A groan was his only response as Patty tried to cling to the traces of sleep. It would probably take a few more minutes before the realisation that today was the start of term would hit and Patty would be instantly awake. The moments of quiet and calm should be treasured.

Patty yawned as the bedroom door opened and Nevan meowed again. The cat was poking her through the sheet, obviously demanding attention and content to continue harassing her owner until satisfied with the outcome.

"Go away," Patty complained as the mental fog associated with sleep drifted further out of reach. Something was niggling at the back of her mind about today. Something important.

September the first!

The train!

Nevan fell to the floor with an angry screech as Patty sat bolt upright. A hissing ball of fur dashed out of the room a moment later, probably intending to locate Dante for safety. Scrambling out of bed Patty grabbed the clothes she had set aside for today, a summer dress Dante had described as cute when forced to comment on it by Lady. Opinions given at gunpoint may not be accurate, but it was the only times Dante could be coerced into comments not directly linked with prices.

Dante was in the shower so Patty dropped the clothes on the sofa and went to the kitchen to prepare Nevan's food bowl. Flora had offered to feed Nevan but Patty had insisted that it was her cat so she should look after her. The cat followed Patty and happily accepted the offering, the accidental throw from that morning seemingly forgotten.

"We'll be living in a different part of the castle tomorrow," Patty informed the hungry cat. "Hopefully the Hufflepuff basement but any house would be ok. Professor Sprout said I could still help her whatever house I'm in."

Nevan looked up as Patty stroked her, licking her whiskers clean.

"I wonder what the other students will be like. Harry's nice but that idiot we met in Diagon Alley...I don't want to be in a house with him. Hopefully I'm in the same house as Harry, then we can spend lots of time together."

"Bathroom's free," Dante yelled from the main room.

"Thanks." Nevan dashed away from Patty for the second time that morning as she yelled in response.

* * *

Albus was wearing a suit which looked awkward and ill fitting. His movements seemed slightly off balance by the change in outfit, but it answered Dante's query about how they were going to deal with the muggles at the station.

"There is a floo point near the station which we will use," Albus informed Dante and Patty. They had assembled in Albus's office at 10am, Patty's small bag for the train packed with her robes, a lunch courtesy of the house elves and Nevan sat grumpily in a pet carrier. Flora had appeared that morning and asked what needed to be moved to Patty's dormitory that evening. The house elf seemed excited by the return of the children and Flora had explained the elves were preparing for the feast in the kitchens, almost every food imaginable was being cooked for that evening. Flora had also said that she was really proud to be helping with the staff table this year because that was where Dante would be sitting.

"I'm afraid we will have to leave before the train departs," Albus apologised to Patty. "Dante and I need to be at our next appointment before 11am."

"That's ok. I'm sure I can catch the train without you. I'll just follow the other children to find platform 9 and 3/4s," Patty smiled. "Professor Sprout said you have to walk through the ticket barrier between platforms 9 and 10."

"I'm sure there will be plenty of children wandering around trying to get the train," Dante commented with a smile.

The short walk from the floo point to the station proved Dante was correct. Several groups which could be identified as wizards were wandering around, checking tickets and parents asking their children if they had remembered various items for the school year. Dante held Nevan's pet carrier, the yowling feline continuing to voice her displeasure at being taken through the floo again, whilst his other hand was gripped by Patty. Albus walked a few steps behind them and Dante found his gaze refusing to focus on the headmaster whenever he glanced round.

'Magic to prevent people noticing him. It's rather impressive,' Vergil commented, a small amount of awe in his voice indicating he was genuinely impressed by Albus's magical competency.

'I was wondering when you would make an appearance today.'

'I've been listening since you went to his office.' Vergil fell silent but Dante could feel a question forming, one which Vergil had been holding back for a while. 'Why do you care for Patty?'

'I don't know,' Dante replied truthfully. 'The same reason I still care about you. A human emotion making us form bonds with each other to continue the species.'

'Hmm biology and psychology knowledge. So you did pay some attention in class,' Vergil commented. 'I'm unsure on the viability of us having children so I suppose forming emotional attachments with human children is an alternative.'

'Vergil, what are you talking about?'

'In nature when two animals of different species have viable offspring it is very rare for that child to be capable of reproducing themselves. Following this logic it would be unlikely you or I would be capable of having children of our own.'

'I don't want a biology lesson. Let me have some time with my substitute child, then you can share your theories with me.'

'If that is what you want, little brother. As long as you are near the stone I will be here.' Vergil fell silent and Dante glanced down at Patty. She was still gripping his hand but looking around in awe at the large station building full of people bustling about to catch their trains. Dante was thankful today was a Sunday, reducing the expected crowds considerably, and the boards stating upcoming trains were to Cambridge, Leeds and Newcastle. No school trains and none leaving at 11 o'clock.

"Where's platforms 9 and 10?" Patty asked, glancing around at the nearby platform numbers. Dante's gaze took in platforms 0 to 8 with passengers milling about, many carrying suitcases and saying goodbye to each other, whilst long distance train services were in various stages of arriving and departing. A glance back up at the departures board showed the next train to Cambridge was set to leave from platform 10 in a few minutes with a note claiming it was a 'local service'. The sign next to the board indicated local services were found in the connecting building to the left of platform 8.

"Over there," Dante replied pointing towards the required entryway with the pet carrier, spotting a wizarding family (the caged owl gave it away) disappearing through the crowd in that direction.

"Thanks," Patty smiled up at Dante before glancing up at a nearby clock which indicated it was nearly half ten. "You have to leave soon, don't you?"

"I'm sure I can take you to the platform if you want," Dante replied with a smile, glancing in the direction he thought Albus might be for confirmation but finding his gaze diverted before receiving it.

'If he has a problem with it I'm sure he'll let you know somehow,' Vergil commented, sounding bored.

Dante's impolite response was cut off as Patty squealed and let go of his hand, dashing over to the station entrance. A large man was stood holding a luggage trolley next to the boy Patty had accosted with a hug.

'I think you've lost her,' Vergil's mental voice sounded amused as Dante sighed. He was glad Harry was here so the two of them could catch the train together, but a part of him had wanted to have a normal parenting moment with Patty. Well as normal as could be expected given the circumstances.

"We need to leave in the next ten minutes," Albus's voice cut through Dante's thoughts.

"Ok." Dante strode across the station foyer to where Patty had released Harry and was busy chatting to him already. The man stood with the luggage seemed to be getting more irate as this progressed and Dante noticed Harry was occasionally glancing up at him. One of these glances obviously took in Dante's approach as he visibly relaxed and smiled. The kid looked thinner than he had before, if that was possible, and tired. His cheekbones were more prominent and Dante felt a flash of anger that someone had clearly been depriving Harry food.

'Careful, brother, there are lots of people around and you need to stay hidden.' Vergil's warning helped tap down the desire to do something violent and Dante took a deep breath to maintain the control required not to tell this man exactly what he thought of cruelty to children.

"Dante," Harry said happily in greeting as Patty's excited babbling paused momentarily. "This is, ah, my uncle and Uncle this Dante."

"Good to meet you," Dante said firmly, offering his hand to shake whilst trying to ignore the slight hissing sound from the pet carrier containing Nevan. The man paused, inspecting Dante with widening eyes as he noticed the twin guns holstered under the coat. His hand was shaking slightly, with a noticeable dampness from the anxious sweat, when he finally accepted Dante's handshake.

"You too. Are you…?" the man waved over at Patty and Harry.

"I'm Patty's guardian. She seems quite taken with Harry so I assume we will probably be seeing each other again," Dante smiled, allowing it to turn slightly predatory as he watched fear bloom in the man's eyes.

"Possibly. I'm afraid I need to rush as I've got another appointment." The man finally let go of the trolley and made a dash for the station entrance. Patty's laughter filled the air almost instantly and Harry joined in a moment later.

"He was terrified," Patty managed to gasp. "That was brilliant."

"Are you ok, Harry?" Dante asked as the children got their laughter under control.

"I'm fine and thank you," Harry threw his arms around Dante's waist in a hug. "It's great to see you again."

"Any time," Dante replied, patting Harry's messy black hair before the boy pulled back. "Sadly I need to leave you two as well."

"How do we get to the platform?" Harry asked quickly.

"We can ask them." Patty pointed to a large group pushing trunks along. An owl was perched on one of the trolleys, being pushed by what appeared to be the oldest boy in the group.

"I think they're probably going to the same place," Dante agreed with a smile. "Hurry up and I'll see you both soon."

"Come on, Harry," Patty said excitedly as she grabbed Nevan's carrier, the cat joining Hedwig balanced precariously on top of Harry's trunk, before pushing the trolley after the group of redheads. Dante watched them go, Harry hurrying after Patty as she pushed the luggage through the passengers.

"Time to go," Dante said quietly, assuming Albus was still loitering nearby under his magical protection. Weaving between several groups, some clearly wizarding families hurrying to reach the platform in time, Dante felt a guiding hand on his shoulder directing him towards the desired road away from the crowds. A few meters down Pentonville road Albus appeared to Dante's left, the people nearby seeming oblivious to the sudden appearance of another person.

"Where we're meeting isn't far away," Albus commented, taking a pocket watch from a hidden recess in his suit and glancing at the face. "John is already waiting for us."

Dante followed a few steps behind Albus as they continued down the street to an innocuous coffee shop.

"Albus, you're looking old," came a greeting from a slightly ruffled looking man holding a takeaway coffee cup and a packet of cigarettes. His tan trench coat looked as if it had seen better days and his messy blond hair was in need of a comb, but his eyes were alert and his posture showed he was ready for sudden action. This man was a fighter but Dante's appraisal failed to spot any weaponry. The inspection didn't go unnoticed and Dante was well aware of a similar consideration being done of himself, probably taking in the marginally concealed guns hidden below his coat.

"It's good to see you," Albus replied with a slight smile. "Shall we?" A general wave was made towards the shop's exit.

"Of course," the man replied, "I need my fix anyway." Once they had stepped outside a quick balancing act ended in a lit cigarette and a cup of coffee remaining mysteriously warm and unsplit, whilst John walked between Albus and Dante. "So who's your new pet?" John asked, indicating Dante with a wave of his coffee cup. Dante's hand raised to his throat as he was reminded of the presence of the collar, a constant pressure that had become a background nuisance over the last month. It would probably feel strange to remove it now.

"This is Dante, a demon hunter from America. Dante, this is John, an auror and old friend."

"Demon hunter?" John's curious gaze turned to assess Dante. "I've done a bit of that myself. Not an easy job, but it has it's uses. It would be nice to discuss techniques, I'm always after new ways to irritate the boys downstairs." Dante felt himself smile at John's comment.

'Don't trust him, Dante,' Vergil warned. 'Something feels wrong.'

"I'm sure we can exchange some information, but I doubt we have mutual skills," Dante replied carefully.

"Oh?" John's gaze drifted briefly to Albus before returning to Dante. "That just makes you all the more fascinating."

"Dante is not here for your scrutiny," Albus interrupted. "Please contain your interest."

"Playtime is over," John complained and shared a smirk with Dante. "How do you cope with him?"

* * *

Patty and Harry followed the group of redheads, watching as the oldest boy pushed his luggage towards the wall between platforms 9 and 10. A few irritated looking commuters pushed past and the boy was gone from view, both Harry and Patty sighing in annoyance at failing to discover how to reach the platform.

"Fred, you next," the older woman said, indicating one of the two twins.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George. Honestly, woman, call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"

"Sorry, George, dear."

"Only joking, I am Fred." Fred dashed towards the wall to avoid the swat his mother tried to give him before he left. His twin raced after him and they were both gone.

"We're going to have to ask," Patty commented and pushed the luggage trolley forward. "Excuse me?"

"Hello, dears," the woman smiled broadly as she took in the view of the two unaccompanied children plus owl and cat. "First time to Hogwarts?"

"Yes," Harry replied timidly. "We were hoping you could-"

"Help you onto the platform?" Both children nodded. "Not to worry. All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, both of you go now before Ron."

"Do you want me to go first?" Patty asked, turning to Harry who nodded slightly in reply. "Ok." She took a breath and pushed the trolley forwards. The wall still looked solid and she shut her eyes to avoid looking at the inevitable crash.

She should have hit the wall by now.

The platform was busy with groups of parents and their children wandering around, lifting trunks onto the train and ensuring various animals were safely stored away in carriages. A sign proclaiming the Hogwart's Express was due to leave at 11 o'clock hung overhead and Patty looked around in amazement.

Harry's breathless sound of awe made her aware of his presence behind her, and she glanced back to see an archway where they had entered the platform labelled Platform Nine and Three Quarters. They were here and Patty felt a slight disappointment that Dante hadn't stayed to wave them off. She would have to make him do that next year. Maybe he could bring her mom so she could have a proper family send off, like all the other children around them were getting.

"Let's go find a space on the train," Patty told Harry as she began pushing the trolley along the platform. They passed several full carriages, but the last one had a few empty compartments and Patty pulled the two animal cages off the trolley to bring onboard. Harry tried to shift the trunk after her but failed to maneuver it very far. Patty muttered something about useless men under her breath as she realised she would have to help, but the twins from earlier appeared before she stepped back out.

"Want a hand?"

"Yes, please," Harry replied and Patty paused, deciding she should let Harry talk to someone without her. The twins seemed harmless and Harry was going to have to get used to everyone wanting to talk to the famous Harry Potter pretty soon.

"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!" On the other hand, the twins were pretty cute and she needed to make friends too.

"Thanks for helping," Patty said with a smile as the boys shifted the trunk into the compartment and pushed it into a corner. Harry pushed his hair out of his face and Patty saw one of the twins eyes widen. 'Oh here it goes,' she thought, wondering when she would be needed to jump in.

"What's that?"

"Blimey. Are you-?"

"He is. Aren't you?"

"What?" Harry asked, looking towards Patty for help.

"Harry Potter!" The twins spoke in perfect unison, obviously practised at speaking in time with each other.

"Oh, him. I mean, yes, I am." Any further comments were cut off as the voice of the woman from earlier floated through the air making both twins wave slightly in goodbye as they left the compartment.

"Are you ok?" Patty asked quietly.

"That's going to keep happening, isn't it?"

"Afraid so. People will probably calm down after a couple of days though, so don't worry." They both glanced out of the window as the family from earlier gathered outside. The tinted glass hid them slightly and the shadows within the carriage would make it difficult to identify them from the platform.

"Ron, you've got something on your nose." The woman was trying to clean the youngest boy's face with a hanky.

"Do you feel jealous of them?" Patty asked quietly.

"Extremely," Harry replied as they watched the scene. The twins were making fun of their younger brother. "I doubt they even realise how lucky they are."

"Probably not." The oldest boy approached the group in his school robes. He had a badge on and the conversation implied he was a prefect. Percy, as one of the twins had called him, hurried off swiftly leaving the rest of the group to make their farewells.

"Now, you two - this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've...you've blown up a toilet or-"

"I like these twins," Patty commented with a smile, "they seem fun."

"Great idea though, thanks, Mum," one of the twins was saying as their mother looked exasperated.

"I wonder what house they're in. I hope it's the same as us."

"It sounds like it might be dangerous to be in their house," Harry replied with a smile. "Entertaining, but dangerous."

"Sounds like life with Dante," Patty grinned. The conversation outside caught their full attention again and they both ducked out of sight as one of the twins gestured towards their compartment.

"Know who he is?" one of the twins said.

"Who?" asked their mother.

"Harry Potter!"

"Oh, Mum, can I go on the train and see him, Mum, oh please…" the little girl's voice cut through the air and Harry visibly shook in nervousness. Patty poked him in response before pulling him into a protective half hug when he continued to look scared.

"You've already seen him, Ginny, and the poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Is he really, Fred? How do you know?"

"Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there - like lightning."

"Poor dear - no wonder there weren't any parents with him. I wonder who the girl with him is? They were ever so polite and the girl seemed to be looking after him."

"Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?" the twins sounded fascinated.

"I forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day at school!"

"All right, keep your hair on."

The whistle sounded and rushed goodbyes were made as the boys jumped onto the train. Harry and Patty pulled themselves onto the seats rather than continue crouching on the floor below the window.

"It'll be fine," Patty reassured Harry. "If anyone gives you a hard time just tell me or Dante and we'll stop them. You saw Dante earlier. He can make grown men cry without trying."

Harry grinned at the memory of Uncle Vernon looking terrified. Patty started chuckling again as she thought back to the incident. She didn't doubt Dante had used some form of his demonic power to appear more threatening to the man, but it was hilarious to watch him do it.

The door to the compartment slid open whilst Harry and Patty were exchanging what they had found most amusing about Uncle Vernon fleeing earlier.

"Can I sit here?" the youngest redheaded boy from earlier asked. "Everywhere else is full."

"Hey, Ron," one of the twins said as he appeared behind his younger brother in the doorway.

"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train - Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."

"Right," Ron mumbled. Patty noticed a slight shudder at the mention of the tarantula and smirked, wondering if she could test if his fear included normal spiders as well.

"Harry, sorry about earlier, we didn't introduce ourselves."

"I'm Fred and he's George."

"And this is Ron, our brother."

"And what's your name?" Fred asked Patty.

"Patty," she replied with a smile.

"See you later, then," the twins said as they backed out the compartment and slid the door shut.

* * *

Dante had taken a liking to John fairly swiftly, despite Vergil's warning, but the cigarette smoke was irritating his nose and making him feel annoyed. John's house smelt strongly of the stale tobacco staining parts of the walls with multiple ash trays in every room. There was also a collection of artefacts littering every available space, some which Dante could identify as having a demonic origin.

'He wasn't joking when he said he did a bit of demon hunting,' Dante commented to Vergil as he inspected a demonic blade leaning against a chair.

'He has no respect for anything,' Vergil complained, his dislike for the human clear in his mental voice.

"In here," John said, beckoning towards a doorway.

The room was surprisingly empty, considering the clutter in every other room so far, and held a single object under a sheet in the centre. John approached the object and pulled off the dust cover.

A mirror.

A boring, normal mirror.

Dante stepped forward to try and read the writing carved around the top of the frame and stopped in his tracks.

'Dante, step away slowly,' Vergil suggested quietly.

'That's us and mom and dad.' Dante felt torn between approaching the image and fleeing the room.

"Impressive isn't it?" John's voice cut through Dante's thoughts and he shook his head to clear it. Stepping out of the direct line of the mirror caused the image to vanish and Dante felt a mental fog lift slightly.

'That mirror is a trap,' Vergil hissed. 'Stay away from it.'

'Just one more look.' His own mental voice felt slightly sluggish, almost drunk.

'No! Dante! Snap out of it!' Dante shook his head again as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait outside," Albus's voice was beside his ear and Dante found himself nodding, before obeying the instruction.

A deep breath of the tainted air outside the mirror room cleared Dante's mind. He leaned against the wall and shut his eyes, the image of his family ingrained on his memory.

'We looked so happy.'

'It was a fake. A lie. A trap. It fed on your desire and showed you what you wanted.' Vergil's voice sounded slightly strained. 'Even I could feel the need to stay and stare,' he admitted.

'I want to go back and look again.'

'I know, and I want you to return but I don't think you could leave if you did. How can the humans stand it?'

'It must affect them differently,' Dante theorised. 'Maybe it was designed to affect demons?'

* * *

"Is Dante human?" John asked as Albus shut the door.

"Not entirely. Why do you ask?"

"I've had to physically remove all the non humans that have entered this room. The mirror seems to hypnotise them. Emmeline's house elf wouldn't budge, even when she ordered it to leave the room. We had to carry the poor guy outside, where he seemed to wake up and apologise. Half an hour later we found him back in here again. He said the mirror called to him."

"Did you find a way to prevent it?" Albus asked, glancing towards the door. Dante had certainly seemed enchanted by the mirror, but he had stepped away and left the room voluntarily.

"Not really. I tried casting a few charms, but the only one that had any effect was blinding the individual. If you need him able to work near the mirror," John waved in the general direction of the door, "he's just going to have to avoid looking at it. Probably worth keeping him away from it if possible. However as soon as we covered it with this," John picked up the sheet and brought it over to Albus, "he snapped out of it."

"I never found the house elves at Hogwarts using it," Albus commented as he inspected the cloth. "Maybe they found a way to render it ineffective with this. I assume this is the cover it was delivered with?"

"Of course. It might be sensible to leave the cover on when you aren't using it," John looked towards the mirror. "Or at least keep the cover beside the mirror and tell Dante to use it whenever he's in the room with it."

Albus remained silent as he continued to inspect the unremarkable looking cover. It looked entirely ordinary, and felt like a normal cotton sheet, but must have been charmed to prevent the mirror from calling out to those it had enchanted.

"Have you completed the task I set you?" Albus eventually asked.

"I am almost insulted you felt the need to ask," John replied with a smirk. He pulled a small notebook from a pocket and flipped it open. "I discovered several methods to utilise the mirror in concealment. If you want to hide something with the mirror I think this will be your most effective charm." John pulled the required sheet from the notebook and handed it to Albus. "However that would require leaving the mirror uncovered, and the charm isn't exactly your basic school level of fun. You'll need some serious skill to pull it off without losing whatever it is you're trying to hide. Might be worth keeping this as a back up, mate, unless you're really sure someone is going to try and nick whatever your mysterious artefact is."

"I will take that into account."

"Let me cover this monstrosity so you can remove it from my home. Can't say I'm disappointed to see it go. Found myself thinking about staring at it far too often for my own comfort in the last few months."

The cover slid back over the surface smoothly, hiding the image of Albus and his brother which had adorned its surface a moment before.

"Now, how about a glass of something cold with lunch?" John smiled as he pulled his cigarette packet back out his pocket.

* * *

Ron proved to be very talkative once he got over the initial shock of being with 'the famous Harry Potter'. It turned out he had heard of Patty as well, his father had spoken about the incident when it was in the paper and there had been mentions of the increase in demonic activity being reported to the ministry.

They chatted happily, Ron explaining a few things about wizards whilst Patty and Harry told him about muggle life.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" a woman asked as she slid back the door to their compartment.

"A bit of everything," Patty said excitedly as she thought of all the wizarding sweets she'd been given so far. A handful of silver and bronze coins later saw a rather large haul taking up the spare seat. Ron took a little persuading but quickly joined the other two in demolishing the pile, forgetting the sandwiches his mother had prepared earlier.

"What are these? They're not really frogs, are they?" Harry asked as he held up a packet labelled 'Chocolate Frogs'.

"No, but see what the card is, I'm missing Agrippa."

"What?"

"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know - Chocolate Frogs have cards inside them, you know, to collect - Famous Witches and Wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."

Patty reached for her own Chocolate Frog as Harry unwrapped his.

"So this is Dumbledore?" Harry asked as he held up the card for the other two to see.

"Yeah," Patty confirmed. "He's nice."

"You've already met him?" Ron enquired as his own chocolate frog was released.

"Dante and I moved into Hogwarts last month," Patty explained. "I asked if I could catch the train with Harry."

"He's gone," Harry exclaimed in shock, holding up the card to show the other two an empty frame.

"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day. He'll be back." Patty tossed another frog over to Ron as she looked at her own card. A man with a long white beard and slightly mischievous smirk stared out of the picture. He waved as Patty turned over the card to read about Merlin.

"No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her...do either of you want her? You could start your own collections."

"In muggle photos people stay still," Harry commented as he watched Dumbledore reappear in the picture.

"Do they? What don't move at all? Weird."

The collection of cards grew until Harry and Patty felt rather overwhelmed with the number of famous witches and wizards. Ron was looking a little green at the amount of chocolate he'd consumed, but persisted in opening the final frog remaining. He squeaked as he saw the card and held it out to Patty immediately.

'Aeron Lowell. A famous alchemist who pioneered demonic research and the role of magic in other cultures. He is most famous for his summoning and control or binding of various demons.'

"He's your ancestor?" Harry asked as he read the card over Patty's shoulder.

"Yeah," Patty turned the card back round to look at the blond haired man leaning casually against the frame. "I don't know much about him though."

"I don't really know anything except he used to capture demons," Ron told them with a shrug. "It's pretty awesome, but only dark wizards deal with demons nowadays so I guess he's kind of ignored. Sorry."

"Does that make me a dark witch?" Patty asked as she continued looking at the card.

"No!" Ron replied quickly. "I meant only dark wizards use demons!"

Patty glanced up and smiled, but it failed to reach her eyes. "What other sweets are good?"

"All of them," Ron replied as Patty picked up a bag of jelly beans. 'Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans' was emblazoned on the packaging. "You want to be careful with those. When they say every flavour, they mean every flavour - you know, you get all the ordinary ones, like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a bogey-flavoured one once."

Patty pulled open the top and held up a pink one before nibbling it. Candy floss seemed to fill her mouth, the flavours and textures somehow mimicked by the jelly bean.

Ron failed to be so lucky and spat out his sprout-flavoured bean towards his snoring rat, waking up the lazy rodent who promptly hid amongst the remaining sweet packages. Nevan, who had curled up on the luggage racks above, watched the rat with a bored expression and Patty wondered whether she would have to save Ron's pet before they reached the school or Nevan was truly disinterested in the rodent.

Harry seemed to have similar good fortune to Patty, with toast, followed by a coconut-flavour bean. His luck eventually ran out with a mysterious grey one, that turned out to be pepper and had Harry sneezing.

Whilst they continued to test their odds with the beans, a knock on the compartment door occurred. Patty jumped up to welcome their potential new friend, revealing a weepy looking boy who seemed slightly too young to be there.

"Sorry, but have you seen a toad at all?" Patty glanced at the two boys who shook their heads.

"No, we haven't," Patty replied and saw the boy's expression fall further.

"I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"

"Where did you last see him?" Patty asked quickly to try and prevent the tears which were threatening to fall.

"I had him when the trolley came down, but after that he escaped."

"He can't have gone far," Patty assured him. "We'll keep watch and bring him back if we see him. What's your name?"

"Neville, and the toad's called Trevor."

"I'm Patty, and I promise if we find Trevor we will bring him back to you." Patty's smile was returned with a weak one from Neville who mumbled his thanks and left the compartment.

"Don't know why he's so bothered. If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk." Ron retrieved him from the pile of sweets where Scabbers had succeeded in nibbling open a pack of liquorice bootlaces. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday, to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look…"

A battered looking wand appeared from somewhere in Ron's trunk as Patty held Scabbers in place. Nevan seemed to have gone to sleep rather than watch the group below, following Hedwig's example. The wand was raised as the door to the compartment slid open.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," the girl said in a slightly irritated voice. Her school robes looked new and her bushy brown hair was pulled back from her face by some well placed hair grips. Neville was hovering behind her, looking mildly terrified of the girl who had chosen to help him.

"We already spoke to him," Patty told her but it was fairly obvious the new girl wasn't listening, her gaze was focused on Ron's wand.

"Are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."

"Er - all right. 'Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow.'" Ron waved his wand vigorously, but Scabbers remained unaffected, going as far as turning around in Patty's hands to show Ron his back.

"Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells, just for practice, and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard - I've learnt all our set books off by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough - I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?" There seemed to be no pause for breath as the girl rattled off her little speech and the group sat in silence for a moment as their minds caught up with the conversation.

"I'm Patty Lowell," Patty told her, noticing a slight widening of the girl's eyes at her surname, and quickly pointed to Ron, "This is Ron," followed by Harry, "And Harry."

"Ron Weasley," Ron muttered as he returned his wand to his trunk in dismay.

"Harry Potter," Harry said quietly, glad Patty was between him and Hermione.

"Are you really? I know all about you, of course - I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in all the modern history ones!"

"Am I?" Harry asked.

"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me. Do any of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best, I hear Dumbledore himself was one, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad...anyway, I'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You need to change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."

* * *

The beer was a selection from various British breweries and John seemed excited to share them with Dante and Albus. He'd explained where he had picked up each bottle and enquired after Dante's preferences to chose what would be best. Albus had refused the offer in favour of tea.

A meal of leftover take out reminded Dante of home, but seemed rather less enjoyed by Albus who resolutely ignored the offered plastic boxes and cracked plate. A little wandless magic heated the food and Dante found himself smiling at the way John's lifestyle was reminding him of the one he'd shared with the girls prior to Patty's influence. It was clear John didn't cook for himself and lived primarily on coffee and cigarettes, take away being of secondary importance, but his alcohol intake was substantial. He truly was the wizarding equivalent of Dante, minus the cigarettes, before Patty had come into his life.

'He isn't,' Vergil commented as he turned his nose up at the food Dante had tipped onto his plate.

'Before Patty I used to live on pizza, beer and strawberry sundaes.'

'That still doesn't make you the same. I'm sure many people share your unhealthy lifestyle.' Dante could hear the way Vergil sounded disgusted at the mere idea of eating the unbalanced meal.

"Not human then?" John said abruptly as Dante lifted his second pint to his lips, something called Barnsy from Bath, and took a mouthful. It was a fairly pleasant drink but Dante's mind was focused on the comment. Vergil had gone quiet in his mind, distracted from his muttering about cholesterol and tar which would be the death of the human who had spoken.

"John," Albus warned, obviously annoyed with the auror's interest.

"I think I have a right to know what I've invited into my house, Albus," John snapped back. The irritation in his gaze vanished as he turned back to Dante, an inquisitive expression replacing the annoyance as he inspected the half demon.

'I still don't trust him, but I prefer him over Albus,' Vergil commented.

'That makes two of us,' Dante replied with a slight smile gracing his lips.

'He does have a point about the right to know, but…'

"Demon hunter, so you have power. Larger than average build, but not beyond human proportions, so probably not half giant. Skin colour is pale, but that can easily be linked with your albinism, as can the hair and eye colour. Not a normal half breed would be my guess or Albus would be fairly open about it. Hmm." John paused to light another cigarette whilst he appraised Dante with a critical gaze.

"The complexion is courtesy of Dad," Dante helpfully supplied as he considered how far he should let the game go. Albus was present to put a stop to it, but this was a potentially violent and skilled threat with unknown connections or loyalties.

'Don't,' Vergil commented unhelpfully as he followed Dante's thought process. 'We don't know enough about him.'

"Something strong enough to take on a demon and hunt them without fear. Something viable with humans. There aren't many options and you don't match my prior knowledge of any except…" The smile was slightly sinister and Dante felt the reflex to have his guns ready kick in. He fought the urge to make any outward physical movement, but mentally his guns were already in his grip. "Demons and angels playing with humans is more common than either side wants to admit. Occasionally such a coupling leaves someone like you behind, usually with a score to settle. You have nothing to fear from me right now, but I can't promise we won't find ourselves on opposing sides of the battlefield in the future. Someone's stirred up trouble below and it won't take long before things get dangerous for the likes of us up here too." John swigged his beer and glanced down at his fried rice. "By 'likes of us' I mean anyone with links to down below and I guess that includes you too now, old friend," John smirked around his cigarette as he faced Albus again.

"What have you heard?" Dante asked.

'Don't give away who we are,' Vergil hissed in annoyance. 'Get him away from this topic, Dante. We know what happened. You took out Mundus and every demon now wants to take over his position. Being the idiot you are, you successfully started a war without even trying.' Dante could hear the sigh of despair at the end of Vergil's statement and couldn't help the mental chuckle he sent in reply.

'You wouldn't want me any other way.'

"Someone removed a big player and disappeared before collecting the reward. That was followed by Abigail finally being released and killed. My sources suggested it could have been the same individual responsible for both and there's a lot of fear amongst the other higher level demons that they might be next on this guy's hit list. I expect there are plenty of demons gunning for this guy, if he really exists. I wouldn't want to be a suspect. What have you heard?"

'Have you been targeted by demons more than before?' Vergil asked, a small level of concern notable in his voice. It would be undetectable to the majority of people but Dante had enough familiarity to pick up the slight inflection.

'Not that I've noticed. I tend to piss off a lot of them, if you hadn't already realised, so they search me out for all sorts of reasons.'

"Same as you, rumour wise, the remaining demon lords are vying for power after Mundus lost. As for Abigail, that was courtesy of Aeron Lowell's descendants, not some mystery assassin."

"I read the newspaper article and it mentions three local demon hunters aiding the Lowells. Demon hunting is pretty specialised and I'm making a leap from your American accent that you might be one of the three."

"The three of us occasionally work together, but it's rare. I can promise you there was no mysterious demon that saved us, just my colleagues, the Lowells and the American public."

"That's an impressive result, for even seasoned hunters," John dropped ash into the ashtray on a nearby cabinet. His expression turned thoughtful as he gave Dante a thorough inspection. "But you aren't a typical hunter. Working with the Lowells though, surely that's a danger for someone like you."

"We have an understanding," Dante drained the second bottle of ale and placed the now empty glass container on the table. Albus had removed his pocket watch from the hidden pocket again and was inspecting the face.

"I'm sorry to cut short this discussion, but Dante and I must return to Hogwarts. It is the start of a new term and we must be prepared for the festivities." Albus rose from his seat and strode out of the kitchen.

"The boss has spoken," John complained and pushed himself up as well. "He'll want you to carry the mirror for him. Just keep the cloth over it and you'll be fine."

* * *

The house discussion had revealed Ron's entire family had been sorted into Gryffindor, but he didn't know how the sorting occurred. Patty explained that she wanted to be in Hufflepuff which resulted in laughter from Ron and being told that was a rubbish house, no one remembers the people in Hufflepuff, but it was still much better than Slytherin. The topic was swiftly changed when famous Slytherins were mentioned and Ron started talking about his older brothers.

"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts."

"Does Gringotts exist in other countries as well then?" Patty asked, wondering if she could access a branch back in America.

"I don't know," Ron said with a shrug. "I think other countries have different money, but it might all work the same." Ron paused as if remembering something. "Did you hear someone tried to rob a high security vault?"

"No. What happened?" Patty leaned forward in her seat, her and Harry picturing the complicated tunnel system they had travelled through to get to their own vaults.

"Were they caught?" Harry asked, matching Patty in her position on the seat so the conversation felt more conspiratorial as they all leaned into the middle of the space.

"No, that's why it's such big news. My dad says it must've been a powerful dark wizard to get round Gringotts security, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd."

"Why would you break into a bank and not take anything?" Patty asked and looked out the window as she saw the green fields blur past.

"I dunno," Ron replied as he shrugged and reached for another sweet. "So what's your Quidditch team?"

"Er - I don't know any," Harry said looking confused by the strange word.

"I watched some of the recordings of the school games," Patty commented as she looked away from the window. "I don't know any of the National teams though."

"What? It's the best game in the world. Let me explain-" Ron launched into an explanation of the many intricacies of Quidditch and why it was the best invention ever. Patty drifted off after the first minute and returned to staring out the window as Harry tried to follow the rambling descriptions. She was feeling relieved when the compartment door slid open again and was hoping Neville, or even Hermione, was back to ask about the toad again. Instead possibly the last fellow student she wanted to see was standing in the doorway with two large kids that looked like his bodyguards. He was staring at Harry with an almost unnerving fascination and Patty felt her protectiveness over Harry rear up in a desire to defend him from whatever this idiot wanted.

"Is it true? They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment." Harry nodded slightly in response to the query and the pale boy continued to speak as his gaze passed over to Patty. "I guess you're fame is overshadowed by his. Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle, and my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Draco smiled as he noticed Patty's gaze dragged back to him from appraising the two bodyguards behind him. His focus had shifted entirely since confirming Harry's identity and Patty wasn't sure she liked the attention. Ron saved her unexpectedly as he coughed to unconvincingly hide his snigger.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford. You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter, and you should already know that, Lowell. You two don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." Draco smiled at Patty and she wondered how best to disarm the group or make them leave.

"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks." Harry's voice surprised her. She had expected him to be silent and let her deal with the threat, like before, but his voice seemed strong and purposeful.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter. Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them either. You hang around with riff-raff like the Weasleys and it'll rub off on you. I suppose it's better than muggles and half breeds, but not by much." Draco's gaze had flicked straight back to Harry as Patty felt her blood start to boil at the disgust in the final sentence.

"Get out." Patty kept her voice level as she tried to contain her rage. Ron and Harry had stood up, both clearly angry and also ready to fight.

"Oh, are you going to make us?" Draco replied mockingly as Crabbe and Goyle stepped forward slightly.

"If I need to." Patty tried to think back to the moves Lady had taught her to fight off any of the guys who might take advantage of a teenage girl walking alone. They had worked on a couple of unpleasant characters in the past and she was sure they wouldn't let her down now if she needed them. A couple of well placed kicks and a punch to Draco's nose should send the group packing.

"Well, we don't fancy going yet. We've eaten all our sweets and thought you might be nice enough to share."

Goyle reached for the sweets as if Draco had given him a command but Scabbers took the opportunity to sink his teeth into flesh. The resulting confusion involved three screams; Goyle as his finger had a rat hanging from the knuckle, Draco screamed as Patty's fist connected with his cheek and Ron screamed as Scabbers fell back to the seat when he released Goyle's finger. Crabbe seemed to be in some sort of daze until Draco dragged himself back together and ran from the compartment, his bodyguards trailing him.

"Remind me to never get on your bad side," Ron said in awe, checking Scabbers for injury.

"I was aiming for his nose," Patty complained. "Stupid idiot turned his head."

"What is going on?!" Hermione yelled as she reappeared in the compartment to see Patty rubbing her knuckles, Harry looking slightly scared, Ron was bent over his rat and all the sweets spread across the floor.

"I think he's been knocked out," Ron poked Scabbers again. "No, I don't believe it, he's gone back to sleep!"

"You're rat is insane," Patty complained and sat back down. Ron shook his rat again but Scabbers showed no signs of waking up.

"So you've met Malfoy before?" Ron said as the other three followed her example and sat down as well, Hermione brushing some of the sweets off the seat next to Patty and joining them.

"We met him whilst getting robes in Diagon Alley. He was missing the sidekicks then but had the same 'I'm better than everyone else' attitude." Patty looked at the floor. "I need to improve my aim but Dante's going to hate him."

"He'll hate Dante as soon as he finds out he's a muggle," Harry chuckled, "but Dante will probably terrify him and make him run away." Patty giggled in response as they both remembered Vernon running away again.

"I don't think Professor Dumbledore will like Dante scaring the students," Patty commented as she smothered her laughter.

"Who's Dante?" Ron asked, vaguely remembering hearing the name earlier.

"Patty's guardian," Harry replied. "He's working at Hogwarts as Head of Security?" Patty nodded in confirmation.

"Malfoy's going to hate that. His family is full of dark wizards and my dad says they still follow You-Know-Who. They were some of the first to come back to our side when he disappeared, claiming they were bewitched, but my dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." Ron twisted in his seat to face Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"

"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up the front to ask the driver and he says we're nearly there."

"Would you mind leaving whilst we change?" Ron asked as he looked between Hermione and the door.

"Alright," Hermione said stiffly as she stood and looked at Patty.

"I'll wait outside then we'll switch," she said as she stood to join Hermione in the corridor.

"You're a Lowell," Hermione said as the door slid shut behind them.

"Yeah, why?" Patty rubbed her knuckles again, they still stung slightly from where they had connected with Draco's angular cheek bone.

"I read about Aeron Lowell." Hermione was speaking slower than before, sounding unsure about what she was going to ask next. "Do demons really exist?"

"Yes, I've seen them," Patty replied quietly, sensing that Hermione was struggling to accept something about her new life. It was probably a huge shock for most of the new students who hadn't grown up around magic to suddenly be packed off to a wizarding school.

"Does our magic come from them?"

"I don't think so," Patty looked at Hermione and could see the signs of the worry this was causing her.

"I was brought up to believe demons were all evil and against God. That witches had made a deal with the Devil for their magic. My parents told me that there was no way magic was evil if I had it, but how can they be so sure?"

"I don't know where our magic comes from but I do know some demons," Hermione raised her gaze to look at Patty. "They aren't all bad. Some are really nice and I believe they care about humans. Whether they are against God? I have no idea, but if there is a God and he thinks all demons are evil, I think I might be against him myself because there are good demons."

"Thanks," Hermione replied, wiping her nose on a tissue from her pocket. "I'll see you at school."

'She's not as bad as I first thought.'

* * *

The mirror sat in a storage room with the sheet still covering its surface. Dante had followed Albus's instructions whilst fighting the temptation to tear off the cover and stare at the reflection hidden just out of sight. The power seemed minimal in comparison to what he had felt earlier, but there was a slight niggling at the back of his mind, almost like a voice whispering to him, that one peek, just one quick look wouldn't be bad. Vergil had fallen oddly silent again and Dante wondered if he was also fighting the temptation of the mirror.

"Thank you for your help, Dante," Albus said as Dante stepped away from the mirror. "I hope you aren't experiencing any ill effects."

"No lasting damage," Dante replied and allowed his gaze to drift across the other items in the room. An odd assortment of trinkets and memorabilia seemed to grace every shelf, with cupboards propped open to reveal a similar stash of objects.

"We have many teachers who have included items into this collection over the years," Albus explained as he watched Dante. "The mirror was one of the objects a past teacher of defence against the dark arts brought back as he found its properties fascinating. I believe he purchased it in Italy and wished to study it with aid from other staff members, but his records are limited so I have been forced to do my own investigation. You are welcome to look around, but I caution you about touching and request you not to remove anything from this room without prior permission. There are many items which may do harm contained within." Dante's hand paused above a familiar looking purple star. It glistened in the slight gloom of the room and Dante wondered how best to remove it without alerting anyone in the castle. He had no need for it, but there wasn't anyone else who could use it whilst it was here...

"Do you have a record of everything here?" Dante asked as he looked along the next shelf.

"We have never conducted a complete inventory but there are records for most items made by the staff members who have taken an interest in particular objects." Albus indicated the cupboard nearest the door. It had one door broken off showing the stacks of parchment within which seemed to have been organised into neat piles. "If you would add to our knowledge whilst you are here I would be grateful," Albus's smile gave the impression Dante wasn't going to be given much choice in the matter. "However that will have to wait until after the feast. We should not be late."

"Of course," Dante agreed and took a step towards the door, a final glance back at the mirror over his shoulder.

* * *

"First years! First years this way!" Rubeus was booming on the platform and the group pushed their way through the crowd of students. "Come on, follow me. Any more first years?" Rubeus seemed to pause to count the students stood in front of him, smiling at the group. "Mind your step now! First years follow me!"

The path they followed was single file and seemed fairly treacherous to the unwary walker. Everyone was too busy focusing on their footing to chat and a silence spread amongst the group. Eventually the path opened out into a large area on the shore of the lake and the students stopped to gasp and take in their first view of Hogwarts across the black waters. Patty made her way over to Rubeus as they paused, squeezing past some of the other students who were gazing at the castle in awe.

"Where's Dante?" she asked quietly.

"He's still sorting stuff out for Dumbledore. You'll see him at the feast though, he's been busy all day, barely had a chance to stop from what I saw. Now let me get back to my job so we can all get our food." Rubeus turned towards the lake as a fleet of boats arrived on the shoreline. "No more than four to a boat!"

Patty found herself in a boat with Hermione, Neville and another girl who seemed to be shaking slightly at being on the water. Harry and Ron were joined by two other boys who quickly dragged Ron into a discussion about Quidditch teams. Harry looked over at Patty for reassurance before Ron tried to include him into the discussion, probably trying to get Harry to take his side in whatever argument the group was having.

"Everyone in?" Rubeus yelled as he looked at the surrounding boats, causing everyone to fall silent again. "Right then. FORWARD!" the boats moved instantly at the command and the group headed across the lake. Patty and Hermione did their best to comfort the girl as she continued to shake at the thought of ending up in the water. It was a relief when they finally reached the underground harbour below the castle and could get out of the boats. Patty rejoined Harry and Ron, hearing the end of the quidditch discussion, as Rubeus checked the group and boats over to ensure no one had been left behind.

"Oi, you there. Is this your toad?" Rubeus held up the green amphibian in question and Neville rushed forward with a cry of 'Trevor'. "Ok. Let's head in."

The stone steps were not as terrifying as the previous path, but the group were forced to once again focus on their feet. They crowded around the large door at the top which opened to reveal a tall, black haired woman who several of the new students recognised.

"The first years, Professor McGonagall," Rubeus told her with a sweep of his hand to indicate the group.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here. Please join us in the main hall."

"Of course," Rubeus replied, quickly leaving the group after giving Patty and Harry a smile.

"Follow me," Minerva said briskly, leading the new students into the entrance hall. Several people stared around in amazement whilst the others remained focused on Minerva. Harry found himself staring upwards in an attempt to see the ceiling, but it was shrouded in darkness and the marble staircase seemed to disappear into the inky blackness above.

They passed a large set of doors, the main entrance to the Great Hall, and into a smaller room set off to the side. Once the door to this room was shut the voices from the older students were cut off and everyone turned to Minerva wondering what would happen next. She cleared her throat and began a short speech about the houses.

Patty felt her mind wandering as she wondered what Dante was doing. Rubeus had said he had been busy all day sorting things out for Albus, which seemed likely, but she would see him at the feast. Flora had said something that morning about Dante being at the staff table so he would have to be dressed up like Minerva and Rubeus were. Minerva's emerald green robes looked much more impressive than the slightly more practical robes and muggle dress Patty had seen her wearing over the summer. Rubeus's patchwork coat had been replaced by a smarter, brown jacket and trousers, free of the mysterious stains made by his variety of pets. Dante would have to improve his look to match the other staff members and Patty wondered if the gifts from Lady and Trish had finally made it out of the suitcase Dante had shoved them back into after inspecting the suit upon arrival at the school.

"Please wait quietly," Minerva was saying as Patty tuned back into the speech.

Several whispered conversations started the instant the door shut behind the teacher and Patty listened in on the ones happening nearby. Most were wondering how the sorting was done with various theories being suggested, anything from a test to a random choice seemed possible. Hermione was hoping for a test and explaining to anyone who would listen that she had memorised several spells already.

Patty looked around and noticed the appearance of the school ghosts a moment before several screams split the air around her. The ghosts hadn't made much of an appearance during her stay so far, almost seeming to be actively avoiding Dante as she had noticed several of them disappear through walls as Dante turned a corner.

The ghosts were conversing about something and it took a moment before they noticed the students.

"Hello," Patty said in greeting as her fellow students took a step or two backwards.

"New students! About to be sorted, I suppose?" a large man in a monk's outfit said happily. His question received a few nods. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know."

An elegantly dressed lady stopped next to Patty and smiled in greeting as the attention of the main group remained on the Friar. "Good luck in the sorting," she said quietly.

"Thanks," Patty replied and returned the smile.

"The Sorting Ceremony is about to start," Minerva's voice cut through the group, making most of the students jump in shock. "Now, form a line and follow me," she instructed as the ghosts disappeared, many giving a smile or wave to the first years.

The line of new students followed Minerva as if entranced, most of the group feeling too nervous to really appreciate their first sight of the Great Hall decorated in all its glory. Candles floated above four tables laden with gold crockery and cutlery. Students were spread across these tables, all wearing their school robes that varied from pristine to re-stitched and patched up several times. Patty spotted the twins grinning from one of the tables and allowed herself a slight smile back at them. She glanced ahead to see a fifth table raised above the students at the far end of the hall. The staff were sat along it, Albus in the centre, with an empty seat next to him, presumably where Minerva would be sitting, and several teachers spread along it. At either end Patty noticed the non-teaching staff were positioned, Dante and Rubeus on the far left whilst Poppy and Argus were sat on the far right. Dante was chatting with Rolanda, who was gesturing wildly and had nearly knocked over her goblet enough times for Dante to move it to a safer location. The red coat had vanished, replaced with the burgundy jacket Lady had picked out and black shirt. Patty wondered if the new trousers had also made it out, but with Dante sat behind the table she had no way of knowing.

"It's bewitched to look like the night sky outside, I read about it in Hogwarts: A History," Hermione hissed and Patty looked up at the ceiling. It looked beautiful, stars speckling a velvet blackness stretching above the candles flickering with a warm light.

Minerva had placed a hat on a stool in front of them and Patty vaguely remembered seeing the tattered thing on Albus's desk that morning. Her fellow students focused on the patched cloth as well before it began to move and started to sing. The strange voice caused all other conversations to cease immediately and focus on the hat.

The song was long and Patty let her gaze drift up to where Dante was sat again. His eyeline locked with hers and he offered a small smile before shrugging. Patty smiled back and tried not to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation, a singing hat telling a few hundred people that it could sort them into the school houses just by being worn. The applause almost took Patty by surprise but she joined in quickly and returned her attention to the main event.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," Minerva told the group, unrolling a scroll she had in her hands. "Abbott, Hannah!"

The girl who had been so nervous on the boat stepped forward. She still looked ready to throw up, Patty thought, but she managed to stumble up and place the hat on her head. It fell over her eyes as she sat down and the school seemed to hold it's breath a moment.

"Hufflepuff!" yelled the hat making the first years jump in surprise. The right hand table cheered and welcomed their newest member happily, including the fat friar who was floating above it. Patty glanced up to see Pomona smiling broadly and clapping as her new student made her way to the Hufflepuff table.

The sorting continued and Patty watched the number of students still standing start to dwindle.

"Granger, Hermione!" Minerva called and Hermione dashed forward, eager to be sorted and sat down. She eventually joined Gryffindor, followed by Neville, which surprised Patty. He was so nervous whilst approaching the hat he had fallen over his own feet and had taken the longest to be sorted so far, with the hat silent for nearly five minutes.

"Lowell, Patricia!" Minerva said as Neville tried to make a more dignified exit from the stool. He failed but the whispers which had started up as Patty's name was said distracted from his error. Patty took a deep breath and stepped forward, glancing at Dante who smiled in an attempt to encourage her.

"Plenty of courage. I can see you have already faced much more than many people your age without running," Patty heard in her mind as the hat fell over her eyes. "You also have ambition, intelligence and a fierce loyalty to those you care for. I could place you in any house and you would be comfortable, but there is really only one in which you could truly excel. Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor table cheered loudly as Patty pulled the hat off her head and hurried over to her new housemates. She gratefully accepted the seat next to Hermione and Neville before turning to watch the rest of the sorting. Draco was put into Slytherin without a hesitation from the hat and several other students followed, split between several of the houses.

"Potter, Harry!" Minerva called loudly and Harry made his way up to the stool. Whispers started up again, slightly louder this time and Patty heard several people nearby asking if it was really him. The hat seemed to be struggling and Harry was gripping the stool tightly.

"What do you think it's saying to him?" Neville asked quietly.

"It could be anything," Hermione replied. "It asked me about my values and why I want to learn."

"It told me I have courage," Patty shared as the hat moved to speak again.

"Gryffindor!" Harry seemed to be shaking as he walked over to their table and shook hands with Percy the Prefect. He fell into the seat next to Patty and she smiled at him as the cheering continued.

Minerva silenced the table with a glare before continuing with the sorting. Eventually reaching Ron who looked so relieved when he was allowed to sit down Patty had to stifle a laugh.

"Now that we are all sorted into our houses I have a few start-of-term notices I wish to announce. The first years please note, that the Dark Forest is strictly forbidden to all students, which a few of the older students may also wish to bear in mind. Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you that magic is not to be practised in the corridors between classes. This year the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to all who do not wish to die a most painful death." Albus paused for breath and glanced along the high table. "As some of you may have already noticed we have a few new members of staff this year. Professor Quirrell will be taking over the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and I hope you will all make him feel welcome. We also have a new head of security, Mr Sparda, who comes to us from America. He is an accomplished devil hunter, recommended by the American Ministry, so I expect you to treat him with the respect he deserves. Thank you but quickly, before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few more words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" Patty noticed as many of the students sought out Dante at the table, whilst Albus spouted what seemed like nonsense, obviously wanting to know what a devil hunter looked like. Dante took it in his stride and smirked whilst raising his goblet to sip whatever was contained within.

Patty leaned towards Harry and whispered, "Do you think people realise Dante isn't a wizard?"

"Possibly. It won't be long before people find out anyway, but I expect that introduction will give people some respect for him. I assume devil hunting isn't a common job?"

"Not as far as I know," Patty replied with a slight laugh.

"You two know Sparda?" Fred asked as he heard the last bit of their conversation.

"I live with Dante in the States," Patty told him with a broad smile. "He's awesome."

"So you're going to become a devil hunter?" George asked with awe. Several people were listening in now, obviously eager to hear about the new famous students and the devil hunter.

"Maybe," Patty replied with a shrug. "I've already had some training and it is my family tradition."

"The Lowells were the first to prove any demons could be forced into working for wizards using spells alone. Before it was always believed a bargain had to be made between the demon and wizard," Hermione informed the group. "What? I read about it!"

"Is there anything you haven't already memorised?" Ron complained as he started grabbing food from where it had appeared on the platters in front of them. Harry's plate was already piled high and he was eating his way through the mountain of different tastes and textures.

Hermione glared at him and helped herself in a more reserved manner to the roast vegetables. Before long she had joined in with the feeding frenzy most of the other students were involved in and was grabbing at the myriad of different items on offer.

The ghosts reappeared and began talking with the new students. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy, or Nearly Headless Nick as most of the students called him, had floated over to encourage them all to try and win the house cup that year. He successfully caused several students to lose their appetite by demonstrating the reason he was known as nearly headless. That vanished as the desserts appeared and everyone grabbed at the mixture of sweets on offer, treacle tart oozing across plates and icing smearing fingers.

* * *

Dante had watched the group of first years shuffling into the Great Hall, most looking a mixture of terrified, overwhelmed and amazed. His gaze had quickly picked out Patty and Harry, stood fairly close together with a red haired boy between them. Both were busy looking around the entire hall, as were their fellow first years, and Dante allowed himself another glance at the ceiling. If he focused he could see the vaulted beams through the enchanted sky which was oddly soothing.

'A sign my abilities are stronger than their magic, eh Verge?'

There was no answering voice, Vergil had disappeared when Albus had sent Dante away to get changed into 'something suitable for the start of term feast' and had not returned despite the close proximity to Albus. The stone must have been hidden away somewhere or his connection with Vergil was being blocked somehow. He was hoping it was the former rather than the latter.

His eyes found the ceiling again and he peered through the darkness to follow a single beam across the night sky.

"It is a perfect copy of the sky outside," Rolanda explained as she noticed Dante's interest. "I do enjoy watching it myself. The open sky is so invigorating."

"How is it done?" Dante asked as he dropped his gaze to face Rolanda.

"An enchantment on the ceiling. I don't know the details but it has been like that since before I joined the school." Rolanda sipped her goblet which smelt quite strongly of alcohol. Dante wondered what she had asked the house elves to sneak into her glass to 'make the Sorting more enjoyable'. She had complained as soon as she sat down at the table next to him that this was her least favourite feast of the year due to how long they had to sit there before they got to eat anything. "I think it's a bit ridiculous really," Rolanda stated quite loudly after returning her goblet to the table. She gestured violently towards the ceiling and Dante grabbed her goblet to stop its contents being spilt across the two of them and the table. "I mean why would you decide to bewitch a ceiling? It doesn't make sense unless you are trying to show off to someone."

"It makes an impression on people," Dante replied as he tried to shift the goblet out of Rolanda's reach without being too obvious about it. He noticed Severus was glancing towards them every so often, probably amused by Rolanda and Dante trying to be subtle about removing her drink.

"Oh you may not think I'm pretty," a voice called out and the room fell silent as it listened to the song. Dante looked down at the hat he had seen in Albus's office earlier moving and seemingly emitting the strange song. He glanced along the staff table to notice most of the teachers pretending to pay attention to the spectacle. Most were doing a fairly poor job of it and Dante was fairly sure a couple were actually asleep. He glanced back at the students and noticed Patty looking up at him. The look on her face made it clear she thought this entire setup was ridiculous and Dante felt himself agree. He shrugged and smiled in a way he hoped she could interpret as 'just go with it'. As the song finished a round of applause roused Pomona who had been starting to lean to her right in her daze and Rolanda let out a loud snort of amusement. Dante swapped their goblets as she seemed distracted and hoped Flora or another house elf would notice the switch. It probably wouldn't be helpful for him to get drunk on the first night of the new term.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," Minerva was saying and some of the teachers began to perk up again. Well, Severus, Pomona and Filius seemed to and Dante remembered being told they, along with Minerva, were the heads of the houses so this was probably an important ceremony for them. The other staff members? This was just an interruption before they got to eat.

The minutes ticked by as several students sat on the stool and wore the signing hat. Most of them were sat for several seconds before one of the four houses was yelled out, a cheer from the chosen house's table and the student hurrying to join his new school family. A few students took longer, the hat seeming to struggle to pick a place and Dante wondered what it was doing to chose.

Rolanda had finally fallen asleep and Dante sipped his glass absent-mindedly as he watched the proceedings. It tasted like absinthe and he quickly returned it to the table.

"Lowell, Patricia!" Dante smiled with pride as he saw Patty compose herself before stepping forward. He could hear the whispers between the students starting up as some recognised her name and explained in excited voices to their peers who this new girl was. The hat fell over Patty's head and Dante resisted the urge to lean forward in an attempt to get closer. It wasn't long before the hat yelled Gryffindor and Dante joined in the clapping as Patty joined her new house.

A few more students were sent to their new groups and Dante resisted the urge to sample his absinthe again.

"Potter, Harry!" The whispers were worse this time but fell silent of their own accord once Harry placed the hat on his head. A collective breath seemed to be held as the hat deliberated. Dante took in the strained muscles and white knuckles as he wondered what the hat was subjecting these children to.

"Gryffindor!" Patty's table erupted into cheers and Dante found himself grinning. It was a great relief that both of them would be together, he had a feeling Harry was going to need Patty over the next year.

As the final students were sorted Dante gave in to the temptation of the absinthe and was rather disappointed when he tasted pumpkin juice in his glass. Flora must have noticed and switched the contents. He could still smell the alcohol though so Rolanda's goblet probably contained the potent concoction again. If he tried to switch them back it would end in a lecture about drinking which Dante had overheard Patty teaching the house elf after his lone drinking session.

The hat was removed as Dante considered the practicality of stealing some of Rolanda's absinthe whilst she was still asleep. His plan was foiled as Albus started speaking and roused the flying instructor.

Warnings about out of bound areas and no magic in the corridors were the equivalent of the 'no smoking behind the bike sheds' Dante remembered from his high school start of term lectures. Admittedly he had used the list of school rules as a target each year and Vergil had called Dante predictable for it, before joining him in several of his escapades. There must be some students in the hall who were going to try the same thing and Dante guessed it was probably now his responsibility to prevent it. This would be an interesting year.

"We also have a new head of security, Mr Sparda, who comes to us from America. He is an accomplished devil hunter, recommended by the American Ministry, so I expect you to treat him with the respect he deserves." Dante saw a few hundred pairs of eyes turn to him and he raised his goblet in greeting. Some people looked fearful, some showed a bit of anger, but mostly it was interest and awe. This was going to be a long and interesting year.

* * *

"I'm half and half," Seamus explained as the conversation started about their backgrounds. Hermione was from a muggle family, Neville grew up with his Grandma and his family had believed he was a squib for many years, Ron was pure blood and Harry's background was well known. Everyone turned to Patty expectantly, except Neville who just seemed relieved no one was looking at him anymore.

"I have no idea about my dad, but my mom's a witch. I grew up in an orphanage then started living with Dante," Patty reached for an eclair as she spoke. She didn't really want to answer questions about her family and was quite relieved when Albus stood up again and called everyone's attention.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song." Albus flicked his wand to make the words appear. "Everyone pick their favourite tune and off we go!"

A deafening roar is the best description Patty had for the resulting noise. No one finished at the same time and Patty found herself glancing around at the other students, most of which looked equally bewildered. Fred and George were singing along to a funeral march whilst Percy seemed to have chosen a nursery rhyme.

* * *

The walk to the Gryffindor tower was long as the first years wandered after Percy, their prefect, along several corridors. He was talking about various aspects of the castle to the nearby students, occasionally increasing the volume to instruct everyone to be aware of the changing nature of the staircases or untrustworthy portraits.

The floating walking sticks caused the group to pause and Percy to yell at the poltergeist in frustration. Patty took note of the advice that Peeves only listened to the Bloody Baron and wondered if Dante had experienced Peeves's antics yet. It was still confusing her that the ghosts seemed to have been absent until now, but it was possible they sensed something about Dante which made them wary.

"Caput Draconis."

The common room looked comfortable, and several of the older students were already occupying the sofas and chairs placed around. Percy directed the first years towards the entrances for the dormitories, boys and girls were separated, and Patty found herself saying goodnight to Ron and Harry before following Hermione away from the common room.

"I don't think I've ever eaten so much at one meal," Hermione said happily as her and Patty entered the dormitory. The other three girls were already there, unpacking their trunks and changing into their bedclothes. It reminded Patty of the orphanage in some ways, the multiple girls in one room sharing the space and receiving no real privacy, but the large four poster beds were something she had only dreamed of before. She paused in the doorway as a feeling of anxiety spread across her as the conscious thought of returning to that life spread through her mind.

There was no way.

Dante would never let her leave him.

He would keep her safe.

He cared about her.

It was an irrational fear.

"Are you ok?" One of the girls was asking as Patty took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Yeah, just a bit overwhelmed," Patty replied, hoping the girls wouldn't pry too deeply. She had no intention of revealing weakness in front of them, Lady had actively warned against it and Patty was well aware of how the other teenage girls at the orphanage would treat each other. It was much better to hide the anxiety and talk to Dante later if she needed a confident.

"It is rather scary," another girl agreed. "Everything is so much bigger and more impressive than I expected."

The other four nodded in agreement as Patty approached the bed with Nevan already sat on the covers. Her trunk was placed at the foot of it with a note tucked on top showing Dante's biro scrawl on its surface.

"I'm Lavender," one of the girls introduced herself as she sat on her own bed in an ornate dressing gown. She was fairly plain but was smiling and Patty could sense the enthusiasm she would normally run into any interesting situation with.

"Parvati," another girl, in the bed on Patty's left told them, as she pulled down her covers. The long, black plait she had been wearing during the day had been removed allowing her hair to form tight curls around her face. Patty made a mental note to ask Parvati to teach her how to put her own hair into the tight plait at some point, or at least show Dante how to do it.

"Patty."

"Hermione," Hermione informed them as she pulled on her pyjama bottoms by the bed to Patty's right. Her pyjamas looked new and Patty guessed they must have been one of the many things her parents had bought in preparation for Hermione's new school. Glancing around the other girls Patty could see the same trend which emphasised the differences between them all. Lady and Trish had probably doubled her number of clothes in preparation for the new school year but she was still wearing things she had owned, adjusted and repaired whilst growing up.

"Sally-Anne," the fifth girl by the window told them in a quiet voice. Her nightie looked like it had at least seen a few nights of wear before making Patty feel a little reassured.

"I'm exhausted," Lavender told the group.

"We all need our sleep so we can be awake for classes tomorrow," Hermione agreed.

"Good night everyone." Patty held Dante's note carefully as she followed the other girl's example of getting ready for bed. Dante had made time today to write something for her and she needed to read it, but the light in the dormitory was fading and Patty was struggling to keep her eyes open. She tucked the note under her pillow and fell into a deep sleep almost as soon as her head hit the soft surface. Whatever Dante had said could wait until morning.

* * *

I feel I do need to say that I've only brought Christianity into the story as it is the dominant religion in the UK and I would be surprised if the muggleborns, such as Hermione, weren't exposed to it and the values it teaches. Anyone who was brought up with the idea that magic is associated with evil would have a hard time accepting being a witch or wizard. I expect there would be several muggleborns a year who would either not attend magical schools or be disowned when their letters arrived.

Not sure how my parents would have reacted...probably would have burnt the letter to be honest. Don't know which of them would be more disappointed in me.

Anyway I will endeavour to keep writing this story and updating infrequently. Although I was recently introduced to several academic papers written on HP which I am struggling to ignore. Seriously people do PhDs on the strangest topics, found one written on fanfiction recently, and it shows I'm an academic as my first thought is 'how did they get funding?!'

14/11/16


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